


msby black jackals online!

by mooshys



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Crack, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Humor, Platonic Relationships, Possible Endgame, Reader-Insert, Slice of Life, Social Media, Spoilers, character cameos, no beta we die like daichi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:29:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 56,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27714098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mooshys/pseuds/mooshys
Summary: As the MSBY Black Jackals' on site social media manager, you're often stuck dealing with the boys of the team. You're their go to person when it comes to what they post online. Anda lotof the stuff they want to post is just flat out ridiculous. Chapters are based off scenarios I can imagine the boys getting themselves into!Mainly platonic relationships with a bit of teasing here and there.Russian translationavailable!
Relationships: Bokuto Koutarou/Reader, Hinata Shouyou/Reader, MSBY Black Jackals/Reader, Miya Atsumu/Reader, Sakusa Kiyoomi/Reader
Comments: 331
Kudos: 898





	1. the thirst trap

**Author's Note:**

> hi everyone! this is mooshua. yes, I'm serious this is aurora/moosh/mooshy/whatever ya wanna call me. uhhhh I'm sorry for disappearing without a moment's notice. there was a lot going on internally and, long story short, I wasn't feeling too hot... haha. I'm fine now tho!! I feel tons better after getting some down time for myself and relaxing! truth be told, I think the step back was much needed (: 
> 
> regarding this story, I'll be re-uploading the edited chapters along with a few new ones every other day or so (since I'm still reading through older chapters and fixing some things up ha.... ha....). I really appreciate the kindness from the community; seriously, everyone was so sweet and it lifted a weight off my shoulders. I don't have much to say right now haha, but uhhh let's get to it!!

“This is absolutely _not_ okay to post on your Instagram,” you said, staring at Atsumu's phone screen. 

It was a mirror picture of himself straight out of the shower. His hair was wet and his bangs were pushed back with a single hand used to show off his bicep; the condensation on the mirror was sloppily wiped away so he could take a clear photo.

All normal, _except_ the real showcase of the photo was that he wasn’t wearing a shirt.

And he was flexing his abs.

 _And_ he was staring at his phone with his tongue sticking out in a seductive manner.

Your eye twitched and you shoved the phone away from your sight. He was unbelievable.

“Aw, c’mon!” He chuckled at your flushed face; instead of accepting your words, he took another look at his raunchy photo. “I think it’s fine? I look pretty good, like a real natural beauty! And these muscles don’t grow overnight! Gotta show ‘em off while I can.”

“Can you stop bugging me about wanting to post thirst traps?” you cut him off. He could be really annoying at points. Every other week he would take a photo like this and your answer was always a curt denial. “Is a regular selfie not enough? Is this because Kageyama finally opened an Instagram account and got more likes than you on his first post?”

He let out a gasp and feigned ignorance. “O-Of course not! Who gives a damn about Tobio and his stupid post!”

His smile fell and was instead replaced with an obvious frown as he shoved his phone into his pocket. Fuming at the mention of Japan's number one setter (not Miya), Atsumu grumbled under his breath and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Great, a baby throwing a temper tantrum.”

Things continued to turn more complicated as the seconds passed. You turned around and saw Sakusa standing a bit aways. His brows were furrowed together and he had a disgusted look in his eyes as he stared at his teammate with great disdain.

“Oh shaddup, Omi!” Atsumu yelled back, still pacing back and forth.

“Do you always have to act like this when you’re told ‘no?’ Dogs have a better understanding of the word than you do,” Sakusa retorted, hands stuffed in the pockets of his jacket. 

Atsumu grit his teeth, trying to hold his tongue in an attempt to avoid a profanity directed at Sakusa from slipping out. You couldn't help but feel like you were caught in the crossfire as Atsumu stared down at Sakua. Meanwhile, Sakusa examined his nails, acting nonchalant.

“Hey, you guys have a press conference in less than ten minutes, would it kill you to _not_ be rude to each other until after it’s over?" You checked your wrist watch and allowed a heavy sigh to escape your lips. Now wasn't the idea time for the two to be duking it out. "It won’t be a good look for you to scowl on national television.”

“I’m just stating the truth,” Sakusa replied lazily. “Just look at him. Children are more level headed than he is.”

“Ya prickly—!”

“That’s enough!” You started pushing Atsumu out of the waiting room to stop their verbal argument. “You still need to get changed into your jersey! That goes for you too, Sakusa!”

“I’m waiting until everyone finishes in the dressing room.” Sakusa directed his gaze away while Atsumu looked like he wanted to throw a couple of punches. 

“Come on, _out!”_ You opened the door. Standing together, the other members were already lined up and waiting. “See, everyone’s ready except for you two! Hurry it up!”

“Alright, alright!” Atsumu grunted as you gave him one final push. "I'm goin', I'm goin'!"

He slouched as he entered the dressing room, muttering under his breath about Sakusa being meaner than usual. As soon as the door shut, you let out a deep breath to release the tension in your shoulders. Sometimes he just made things harder for you. The other starting members noted how exasperated you look.

“Hey, hey, [Name]!” Bokuto was the first to approach in a cheery manner. He leaned froward to look you in the eyes and ruffled your hair. “Why the long face? The day’s just getting started!”

“It’s nothing,” you replied and glanced at your watch for the time. The team would need to get ready for a role call soon. “Meian, can you lead the members to the doors outside of the briefing room? I’ll wait back for Miya and Sakusa. We’re cutting it short on time and I believe Coach Foster is already waiting for you guys there.” 

“Leave it to me,” Meian sent a thumbs up and the guys started to tail after him. “Round up, fellas!”

 _At least there’s someone here who has their head screwed on right,_ you thought as you watched the team follow behind their captain. Once they were at the other end, you knocked on the dressing room door. “Miya, are you almost done?”

The door opened immediately. Atsumu stared down at you, his stature almost intimidating up close. The black and gold uniform he wore starkly contrasting his bleached hair, making him appear tanner. He continued with his theatrics from before, rolling a hand in the air as he had his other placed on his hip.

“Empty now for Mr. Prickly.”

You moved to the side and made your way to the waiting room to get the last member. Time was ticking and he still needed to get into uniform. When you poked your head in, you found Sakusa sitting on one of the small fold up chairs, scrolling through his phone.

“Sakusa," at the sound of his name, he broke contact with his phone and looked up at you. "The changing room is empty for you now. Please get dressed quickly, the others are already making their way to the briefing room.”

Sakusa nodded his head and sauntered to the dressing room without a word. He slightly shifted his path to remain at a distance and paid no heed to the daggers that Atsumu sent his way. Once the door to the locker room shut, you elbowed the setter right in the gut, causing him to bend over in pain.

“Hey!” he yelped out and grabbed onto his side. “Uncalled for!”

“Quit it with those dirty looks and control yourself!” You leaned back against the wall of the hallway and took a deep breath. It felt like Atsumu was always the one causing a ruckus or being overdramatic. “Make a wrong face in that room and it’ll be plastered all over the magazines.”

“Yeah, yeah…” He dismissed your concern and then stood in front of you. He leaned in closer with his arm resting on the wall above your head. “So about that picture… _Did ya like it?”_

Feeling your face get hot as you recounted his physique in your mind, you lightly shoved him away from you. “Quit being such a sleaze and stop talking about—”

The door to the changing room clicked, interrupting you, and Sakusa stepped out.

Perfect timing. Someone to buffer Atsumu from you. Taking a step away from him, you started walking down the hallway towards the briefing room.

“C’mon the others are waiting,” you said while fidgeting with your lanyard pass.

The two followed behind you, Sakusa still keeping his distance from his teammate.

“Miya,” Sakusa began in a monotone voice. “You need to stop whoring yourself out all the time.”

Atsumu choked on air. He whipped his head to look at Sakusa who still kept a neutral facade, eyes focused on the direction ahead.

 _“Excuse me?!”_ Atsumu yelled out in disbelief. “Whaddya mean by _that?!”_

“Exactly what it sounds like.”

You took a peek over your shoulder and gave the two a warning glare to stop acting up. Atsumu bit his bottom lip to calm himself from another outburst and turned his head so that Sakusa wasn't within his peripheral vision. Sakusa continued walking in a casual manner, unknowing just how rude his words were. It didn't take long until you three joined the rest of the group. Only a few minutes to spare. 

“Okay, good luck,” you said to the boys as your fingers played with the plastic of your lanyard. “Nice faces and smiles all around! And please,” you directed eye contact towards Atsumu. He avoided your gaze and instead chose to look up at the ceiling. “Don’t trash talk the other teams.”

There was a round of "Don’t worry!” and _“_ "Leave it to us!” from the members while Meian sent you a reassuring gaze. The main troublemakers would (hopefully) be put on a leash. Staff of the broadcasting station cued the boys in and they shuffled into the room.

In the last minute before recording, you silently prayed for nothing to go wrong.

* * *

Thankfully, everything went according to plan and there were no outbursts worthy of headlining the front page of a tabloid.

For the press conference, Atsumu and Bokuto sat right next to Meian while Sakusa sat at the very end of the long table. The reporters asked the usual questions about feelings before the match and how the team would tackle their next opponent; Meian and Coach Foster answered most of the questions about team conditions while the other boys gave their input here and there. Sakusa kept his most neutral face, but you could tell that he wasn’t comfortable being in a room with so many people.

“Great job today!” You clapped as the boys ambled out into the hallway. “Now one last thing, you know the drill!”

Pulling out your phone, you adjusted it so that it was in landscape position. The members crouched down and got closer to each other, putting on their best smiles for the camera. Bokuto threw up two peace signs and made a hilarious face, even pulling in Thomas to do the same pose. Sakusa maintained his composure, but you could tell he wanted to grimace when Bokuto leaned in closer to him.

You held up your hand for a countdown.

“Okay, three, two, one…"

All the members froze with the exclusion of Atsumu who decided to wink at the last second.

"...Perfect!”

After that, the boys started running to the changing room. Sakusa lagged behind and watched as most of the members were already halfway down the hall. You took slow, careful steps as you focused on the picture and zoomed in on everyone’s face to see if a retake was necessary. Satisfied, you logged onto the official MSBY Black Jackals account and posted the photo. A flood of hearts and comments appeared within the next few seconds.

> **@bl4ckj4ckl:**
> 
> SO EXCITED!!! GOOD LUCK ILYSM

> **@miyapack:**
> 
> omg miya looks so hot please call me I am free this weekend I dm'ed u my number

> **@booookutobeam:**
> 
> bokuto's smile gives me LIFE!! his happiness makes my heart go boom boom

“Look at little [Name] workin’ hard for us,” Atsumu commented as he walked beside you. His hands were behind his head and his elbows stuck out in front of him. He leaned down so that his head was right next to yours as he stared at the screen of your phone. “And look at all the fans go wild in the comments.”

“Yeah, a lot of them are really excited for tomorrow’s match,” you replied as you continued scrolling through and monitoring the comments. 

“Hm, maybe we should hype ‘em up some more?” Atsumu sent a mischievous grin your way, causing you to raise an eyebrow at him. 

“How so?”

Atsumu never answered, instead choosing to laugh it off. He practically skipped to the changing room, leaving you behind with Sakusa. 

“Gross,” Sakusa commented as he lingered next to you, his eyes narrowed at Atsumu's back with distaste.

You could only nod in agreement, staring in wonder about what Atsumu was thinking of doing. There were times when he was unpredictable—on _and_ off the court—but whatever idea he had on his mind couldn't be too terrible.

For your own sanity, you brushed off Atsumu's words and continued about the day.

* * *

Every night, before you went to bed, you couldn't help but scroll through the MSBY Black Jackals' official Instagram account. It was a ritual that brought you peace as you went through and read the comments while wearing a sheet mask. 

But this night was definitely not the same serene self-care routine.

When you opened the Instagram page, your eyes bulged out of your head after seeing the newest post. 

There, in HD quality, was the picture Atsumu showed you earlier in the day. He was topless and had a suggestive look in his eyes; the caption read “looking forward to tomorrow (;” and the comments were going insane. 

> **@miyasgirl:**
> 
> HOLY SGHTI OH MGYD GOD

> **@spiritb0mb:**
> 
> M-MIYA?!?!?!?!?! ATSUMU!??!?! HELLO!??!

> **@blondesetterbby:**
> 
> LEMME LICK UR ABS

The time stamp read that the picture was posted thirty minutes ago. And, in such a short amount of time, it gained so much traction; thousands of likes accumulated and every time you refreshed the comments about a hundred new ones would show up.

Shaking in anger, you threw your phone on the bed and ripped your face mask off. _Of course_ Atsumu would do this. You should have seen this a mile away. In a sad attempt to calm yourself, you buried your face into your pillow and let out a scream. The fact that he chose to post his picture on the team account instead of his own personal one pissed you beyond belief. 

Once you composed yourself, you grabbed your phone and deleted the post. As if on cue, a text message notification from the troublemaker popped up on the top of your screen. It was like he was waiting for this moment. With contempt, you opened it.

> **ATSUMU:**
> 
> you never answered me today
> 
> didya like it? (;

You resisted the urge to call him and yell profanities into the phone. 

> **YOU:**
> 
> Do not contact me outside of work hours.
> 
> Prick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I remade my [tumblr](https://mooshys.tumblr.com/) and [twitter](https://twitter.com/himooshys?s=20) so feel free to check out whatever shenanigans I'm up to (:


	2. the tiktok disaster

If there was one app the guys of the MSBY Black Jackals had the most fun on, it was definitely TikTok.

It seemed like the platform exploded overnight; celebrities, athletes, and your average joes flocked to post minute videos of themselves, blowing up the content value to new heights. Anyone who wasn't on TikTok was an outlier in modern society. 

Most of the time, the players wanted to post videos of themselves showing off their skills on the court, which was great and all, but Bokuto was the one who liked to go outside of the box with the videos he made.

“[Name]!” Bokuto called to you from across the court. You were on the sidelines recording them to archive a practice video for later use. Their training session just ended and many of the members were already leaving the court. “I have a super cool idea for a TikTok video!”

“What’s up?” You replied, listening to what he had to say as you put away your video camera. Bokuto quickly went to the bench, grabbed his phone, and scrolled through. Once he found the video he was looking for, his eyes lit up and he let out a small _“aha!”_ as he couldn't hold in his excitement. He stuck his phone into your view with a smile on his face. On the screen was a video consisting of a trio of girls dancing to the beat of a hiphop song. “Oh, this does look pretty cool.”

“Right? I knew you would say that, so I practiced the dance last night and memorized it. I think it would look pretty sweet to dance to this song on the court.”

Looking at the empty court, you noted that it was spacious and offered a nice contrasting background.

“Alright, let’s do it. I’ll record you.”

Bokuto jumped up into the air and laughed at your forwardness. His skin glistened from the sweat he put up during practice, but his face didn’t show any sign of fatigue. The dri-FIT shirt he wore clung tightly to his torso.

_The fans will probably go crazy at Bokuto’s body,_ you thought as you took a few steps away from him in order to get a full body shot. From the corner of your eye you noticed Atsumu sitting on the bench watching you and Bokuto. 

“Ready?” you asked behind the camera. Bokuto sent you a thumbs up. “Okay, three, two, one.”

The music began playing and Bokuto started dancing to the beat of the song. He shuffled in his steps and then, as a finale, he pointed his fingers to the camera and gave a big smile. 

“How was that?” Bokuto asked as he approached.

Your eyes were glued to the screen, monitoring the playback. He peeked over your shoulder to do the same.

“It looks really cool! Maybe we should do another take though? I think I should do some angling effects to make the whole shot more dynamic.”

“Oh, yeah, that’ll look awesome!” Bokuto agreed and then walked back to the spot in front of you, ready to dance once again.

“Hey,” a voice cut in before you began shooting. It was Atsumu. He approached you and Bokuto wearing a sly smile. “I know a great way to make this video ten times better.”

“Oh, Tsum-Tsum, you got some input too?” Bokuto responded in a cheerful manner while looking at his younger teammate with welcoming eyes.

“Let me join the video. I already saw Bokkun practice all last night, so I know the moves. Two members dancin’ will be a hit and then at the end I’ll set a ball up for ya to spike. That’ll get everyone riled up!” he suggested with his arms outstretched like he was Jesus or something.

“Uh, I don’t—” 

“Awesome idea, Tsum-Tsum! [Name], will you toss a ball up for us?” Bokuto interrupted in an excited manner.

“I’m going to be recording you guys though,” you reasoned with him and held the phone up.

You were still a bit peeved at Atsumu for his little stunt the other day, so being near him made you want to send your palm right to his cheek. Watching him get yelled at by Meian before practice wasn’t enough punishment in your opinion.

“Omi!” Atsumu yelled out to the only other person on the court. Sakusa was sitting on the bench with a towel draped over his head as he scrolled through his phone. “Help us out ‘ere!”

“No,” he replied gruffly, not even bothering to look up. 

“We know yer still waiting for everyone to finish gettin’ dressed! Just toss the ball up for us!” Atsumu demanded.

Sakusa shook his head, tired of hearing Atsumu's loud voice. You and Bokuto watched the one-sided argument, Bokuto a bit more amused at the exchange than you were. With the short break between recording, you checked your watch and realized it was getting late.

“We should probably finish this up soon if you want to post it by tonight,” you pointed out and showed your phone screen to Bokuto and Atsumu so they could see the time.

Atsumu raised his volume level up a notch as he yelled out, “Ya hear that, Omi? Get yer butt over here!” 

In a reluctant manner, Sakusa finally rose from the bench and took the towel off his head. His steps were heavy as he approached and he pulled the ball basket with him.

“That’s a good boy,” Atsumu praised in a demeaning way.

Sakusa sent a threatening glare at the setter that basically screamed _“Don’t push it.”_

You backed yourself up and got ready to record again. “Should we have a cue for when Sakusa should throw the ball up?”

“At the end when Bokkun points to the camera,” Atsumu instructed and then stood right next to Bokuto. The two looked ready to dance.

“Okay, I’ll start it… now!” You pressed the recording button and the music began playing.

The two were in sync and danced alongside each other while you angled your phone to add in more dynamic elements to their movements. At the end of the dance, Bokuto pointed to the camera and began to back up to get ready for a spike. Atsumu had his hands up in front of him, but the ball wasn't tossed into the air.

Instead, Sakusa chose to hurl the volleyball as hard as possible towards Atsumu. It hit him dead center in the face.

“Heh,” Sakusa chuckled out with a small, twisted smile on his face as he looked down at Atsumu’s fallen figure.

Unable to remain impartial, you giggled alongside him and stopped recording. At the sight of his fallen friend, Bokuto laughed so hard that he fell to his side and had to clutch onto his stomach to avoid cramping. As soon as Atsumu got back up on his feet, he put his middle finger up for the two of them and made an ugly, belligerent face.

“Yer such a prickly son of a—!”

“We still need to finish this video!” you interjected, stopping Atsumu from letting out a string of curses. 

“He just threw the ball at my face!”

“I thought that’s what you wanted,” Sakusa replied. He was having a hard time keeping his face in a neutral state, the corners of his lips twitching upwards.

“I said to _toss_ it! Not pitch it like a baseball!”

“Oh, my mistake,” Sakusa said in the most unapologetic tone.

Atsumu took a threatening step towards Sakusa while Bokuto was still recovering from his laughing fit. Before he got the chance to make another step, you inserted yourself between the two, acting as a buffer to stop Atsumu.

“That’s enough!" you said, alternating your gaze between the two. "Let’s finish this before it gets dark outside, please!”

Atsumu sent another mean look directed towards Sakusa and then shook his head. He and Bokuto stood in the same position as before and you began the process of counting down and recording all over again. This time, Sakusa tossed the ball up for Atsumu which allowed Bokuto to spike the ball onto the other side of the net. 

“That was perfect!” you said as you watched the playback. Atsumu and Bokuto peered at your phone screen over your shoulder while Sakusa walked to the other side of the court to grab the ball Bokuto hit. 

“Damn, we sure do look good, huh?” There was a smug look on Atsumu's face as he put an arm around your shoulders. “Aren’t ya just the luckiest to be surrounded by such—”

“No,” you curtly said and then shook his arm off.

“Don’t tell me yer still mad about—”

You scowled at him and took a few steps to the side in an attempt to show him just how pissed you were.

He laughed as he tailed after you. “Aw, c’mon! We got _so_ many followers from that!”

Wanting nothing to do with him, you continued walking and ignored his presence. 

“Miya, didn’t I tell you to stop whoring yourself out?” Sakusa said as he pushed the ball cart to the corner of the court. "Enough already."

Atsumu stopped in his tracks and gritted his teeth in vexation. 

“Would’ya quit saying that! I don’t whore myself out!” he yelled in denial. However, Sakusa didn't spare him the time of day to acknowledge his outburst. Once he grabbed his phone from the court side, Sakusa headed to the changing rooms by himself. “He’s such a jerk!”

“Hey, [Name], do you mind letting me know when you post the video tonight? I want to show my friends how cool I look when it goes up!” Bokuto asked as he picked up his towel and phone. He wasn't paying any attention to Atsumu and this further irked the setter.

“I’ll message you guys once it’s up,” you assured him and grabbed your bag.

Waving a goodbye to Bokuto and further ignoring Atsumu, you took your leave.

“Wow, you seriously pissed off [Name], Tsum-Tsum!” Bokuto bellowed out a laugh and slapped the setter hard on the back. Atsumu choked on the water he was drinking and coughed in pain.

“She’ll get over it,” Atsumu said, watching your figure disappear through the double doors.

_At least I hope so._

* * *

You felt triumphant.

As soon as you got home, you knew _exactly_ what you were going to do. First, you would take a nice, relaxing bath. Then you would order your favorite take-out meal. And finally, post the video the troublesome trio made today. 

Well, _both_ videos to be exact.

Gleefully, you tossed your bag onto the couch and prepared yourself for a night of luxury and revenge.

* * *

Sitting on your bed, you posted the videos you took of the guys after practice. The first one was the successful take of Atsumu and Bokuto making the spike. The second video, and your personal favorite, was the one with Atsumu getting pelted in the face by a volleyball; this one was captioned as a “blooper.” Fans _love_ behind the scene takes.

It didn't take long for the comments to come rolling in.

> **@bobobokuto1000:**
> 
> YES LOOK AT BOKUTO DANCE! AHHHH SHOW US UR MOVES KING

> **@15sakusakfan:**
> 
> i wish sakusa danced too....

> **@bl4ckj4ckl:**
> 
> BOKUTO’S CHEST……….. OMG…. DORITO ASS BODY....

The video with Atsumu getting hit in the face had the best comments though.

> **@miyasfavoritericeball:**
> 
> HAHAHAH LOOK AT HIS FACE POOR BOY

> **@spiritb0mb:**
> 
> HELP IEG A CANT BREHATEH I’M CRIGNA

> **@atsumoomoo:**
> 
> KGJAKJFHSFS IT HIT HIM SO HArD HELPE MY LUNG JUSt BUrtsT

Before you forgot, you texted Bokuto that the video was posted and you continued scrolling through the comments as part of your nighttime ritual. Within the next few minutes, a flood of text messages from Atsumu popped up at the top of your phone.

Unbothered, you read through the messages and smiled to yourself for a job well done.

* * *

**EXTRA:**

> **ATSUMU:**
> 
> YOU POSTED IT?!

> **YOU:**
> 
> We’re even now.

> **ATSUMU:**
> 
> NO WE’RE NOT

> **YOU:**
> 
> I liked the picture, btw. :)

Throwing his phone in frustration, Atsumu shoved his face into his pillow. 

“She can’t just do this and then throw a curveball at me!” Atsumu yelled while tightly clutching onto his bedsheets.

His words were muffled by the pillow, but they were loud enough to warrant a knock on his door.

“Miya, shut up,” Sakusa said as he cracked the door open and peeped his head in. He stared at the groaning boy and chided his pathetic state. "What..."

“Leave me alone, Omi-Omi…” Atsumu moaned in despair. “I’m gonna die of embarrassment…”

“Ew,” Sakusa shuddered and shut the door, not wanting to deal with his teammate in the middle of the night.

Another chime from his phone forced Atsumu up. He checked the text message.

> **OSAMU:**
> 
> Lookin' real cool, scrub

Burying his face into his pillow once again, Atsumu accepted complete and total defeat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song that I had in mind for the guys to be dancing to was Blueberry Faygo by Lil Mosey. Fun fact: I actually had the song on repeat when I first wrote this chapter and it ended up as one of the top songs for my Spotify Wrapped. I screamed when I saw it as #4 on the list!
> 
> Thank you for reading! I hope y'all are staying happy and healthy.
> 
> Peace.


	3. sakusa's brand deal

The summer sun made the day's outing almost unbearable in the vineyard. A buzz of staff members rushed here and there in order to fulfill their long list of duties while the over demanding set director sat on his ever so important folding chair commanding for the underpaid (and overworked) interns. Peeking out from the blinds of the trailer window, you eyed the mass of sweaty people. 

“Aren’t you just lucky to have your own trailer for your first brand deal?” You grinned at the star volleyball player. Sakusa sat on the opposite side of the trailer, solitary from you and the makeup artist who was fiddling around with her brushes and compacts. “For Miya'a commercial shoot, we were on the beach for _hours_ and the only shelter we had was a small tent that ended up blowing away.”

Even though he wore a face mask that covered the bottom portion of his face, you could tell he was disgruntled at hearing his teammate’s name. They got on perfectly fine during a game, but off the court all formalities were lost.

Sakusa scoffed at the thought of Atsumu freaking out over a flying tarp. “I can already imagine how terrible that must have been.” 

“Yes, I actually had to put a hand over his mouth to stop him from cursing out." Remembering the scene all over again, you giggled into your sleeve. "Thank God nobody got that on camera.”

Before Sakusa had the chance to speak, a sharp knock interrupted him; the knob of the trailer door twisted and an exhausted staff member presented a clothes hanger with a large black covering.

“From the stylist. They adjusted the measurements and the director wants him out ASAP while it’s still sunny.”

“Right, thank you. We’ll be out soon,” you replied and took the outfit from him. The door promptly shut and you handed off the hanger to Sakusa. “I’ll wait outside while you change and finish up on makeup.”

Leaving him to his own devices, you walked out of the trailer and blended into the set.

* * *

All eyes were on Sakusa as soon as he walked out of his trailer. Donning a semi-casual fit consisting of black suit pants and a white button-up collared shirt, he strode through the set with a pained look. The longing glances from the female (and a few male) staffers were prevalent—the attention and having to voluntarily present himself in front of a crowd of people for a reason other than volleyball made him incredibly anxious. 

“Lookin’ good, kid!” the director of the shoot shouted as he pounced out of his seat. The two interns that were fanning him with script books tailed after the boss: one on his left side and the other on his right. “We’re gonna do a couple of takes of you sippin’ the wine and then also posin’ with it in front of the uh… _Hiccup!_ The grape vines!” 

“...Alright,” Sakusa warily responded.

He eyed the director whose face was looking a bit _too_ red. Even though it was summer, it was much too early in the day to be developing a sunburn. Embarrassed by their boss, the interns hurriedly ran off to retrieve a bottle of water and some light snacks. 

You stood under the tarped area where the director and other staff members were located and monitored the shoot. Knowing Sakusa, he would probably want to get this over with as soon as possible. A few older female staff members flocked to Sakusa’s side and led him to the perfect position in front of the camera; the hair stylist shook an aerosol bottle and sprayed a jet of product on the top of his head while the same makeup artist in the trailer lightly patted powder on his face. There was a brief instance where an expression of dismay flashed Sakusa’s features; you noted the dead look in his eyes when he was finally handed a glass of red wine.

Pulling out your phone, you decided that now would probably be the best time to record an overshot behind the scenes video for later use. It was absolutely hectic with the amount of people, but you focused the camera on Sakusa.

Clapping his hands for the whole set production, the director cleared his voice to gather the set's attention.

“Let’s get to… _H_ _ic!_ Rolling!” 

Everyone scurried out of the shot and the director’s cut board was snapped in front of the camera. With the camera pointed directly at Sakusa, he followed the instructions of the script given to him prior and took a small sip of wine.

_This brand deal couldn’t have been a better pick for him,_ you thought as you continued to watch Sakusa. His movements were refined and poised. He had an icy gaze which could be interpreted as calm and collected; his entire demeanor matched the elegance of wine. _We might even finish this earlier than expected._

“CUT!” screamed the director. He slumped in his chair with his arms crossed, unsatisfied. There was an obvious scowl on his face as he muttered incoherent words to himself.

Looks of confusion washed over the production team and even Sakusa let out a harsh frown at the sudden halt.

“We need a… _Hic!_ A lady!” The director declared and pushed himself off his seat. He shoved a few staff members and squinted his eyes at everyone, evaluating every little detail. Finally, his eyes met yours and he jolted up. “You!”

You pointed to yourself in disbelief. “Uh, me?” 

“Yeah! Get the stylist and measure her out for a sundress! Where’s the makeup artist? We don’t have… _Hiccup!_ All day!”

Those who were called out came scampering to your side in the blink of an eye. Measuring tape was rounded at your chest and waist while the makeup artist began to conceal small imperfections.

“Hey! I’m not an actress or anything! I’m just—!”

“We’ll pay ya, don’t worry!” said the director as he chugged another water bottle, completely ignoring your protests. Eyeing over your shoulder, you noticed that every single crew member looked absolutely exasperated, but they continued to follow the ridiculous orders of the old man. “Take five while we get our… _Hic!_ Pretty lady!”

“Please come with me,” the stylist lightly tugged on your arm and began to lead you to a trailer. With brushes in hand, the makeup artist tagged along and dragged her portable makeup train with her.

“Is this normal?” you whispered into the stylist’s ear.

Letting out a heavy sigh, the stylist nodded her head in a defeated manner.

* * *

“Now would’ja look at that!” Under the gaze of the whole production staff, you felt yourself wanting to recluse. Flocking to your side, the director eyed the work of his stylist. “This’ll be a hit with you two, I just… _Hic!_ Know it!”

One of the interns by his side guided you to the front of the camera next to Sakusa.

“Alrighty kids,” the director sat back down into his chair and slapped the back of the camera man’s head with his rolled up (and forgotten) script. “Whaddya usually feel when you take a sip of some good wine?”

“A light buzz!” The intern on the left chimed.

“The need to take a nap!” The intern on the right chipped in.

“WRONG!” He whacked the two interns on the head and they collapsed onto the ground while clutching the affected area. In pain, the pair whimpered out silently, but the director didn’t bother a second glance at them. “It’s the feeling of love—no, _lust!_ You want something more! That’s what this shoot for this Kabernet is all about! Pretty boy over here is nice, but when you add a star crossed lover enjoying a sip of something forbidden… _Hic!_ It’s revolutionary! It’s beautiful! It’s love at first sip, baby!”

It was impossible to hide the look of utter confusion on your face, however, the rest of the staff thought otherwise. All of the people, excluding you and Sakusa, clapped in exhilaration—as if what this man had said made _sense._ A few people even hollered out in excitement, saying things like “A genius!” and _“_ Another amazing pitch by the legend himself!” 

_No one is sane here,_ you thought as things continued to escalate. Not only did you somehow manage to jack Sakusa’s brand deal, but now the director was demanding a completely different script than what was originally presented. From the corner of your eye, you noticed Sakusa looked anything but pleased, but he continued to hold his tongue. _What the hell is going on?_

Before you had a chance to even object to what was happening, the two interns sprang back to their feet and positioned you to lean on the stone archway entrance.

“H-Hey!”

“Boss man wants you standing right here!” One of them said and tucked a strand of your hair behind your ear. “There! Perfect.”

The other one tried to grab onto Sakusa’s wrist, but he drew back his hand and glowered at the intern for a second.

“Sakusa! I’m gonna have you hide behind the stone archway for a second and on Monkey Number Two’s cue you go out and then act like the suave pretty boy you are!”

“Suave pretty boy…?” Sakusa mumbled, trying his best to not look disgusted at the title.

“Do something that’ll make the hearts of your fans go mad like,” he put his thumb under his chin and slightly lifted it up. _“That!_ With a cool stare. _Hic!_ Girls _love_ that kind of stuff!”

You could see it in his eyes: Sakusa was losing his patience. He was probably on his last straw. Heck, the last straw was probably picked out and trampled on at this point. 

Sakusa paused for a moment before answering. There wasn't a doubt in your mind that he was cursing out the director in his head.

“Fine.”

“Atta boy! Rolling in three, two...” A finger was put up in the air and the director’s slate board was presented in front of the camera again. 

Leaning back on the archway, the cool stone made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. Even though it was dreadfully hot outside, you felt yourself get cold feet. This was completely out of your comfort zone; you were the one who was behind the camera and updating the fans— _not_ the other way around.

Lost in thought, you almost didn’t notice Sakusa enter your personal space. He leaned down and, using the director’s instructions, put an index finger to your chin and lifted your face up so that you were now making direct eye contact with him. 

His face was mere inches away; it was impossible to stop your heart from beating as fast as it did. The support of the wall behind you was much needed—had it not been there, you probably would have passed out on the ground from your weak knees. Taking in his features, your body froze from his touch.

“CUT!” At the sudden sound, you instinctively pushed your hand out to maintain some distance from Sakusa. “We nearly had it… _Hiccup!_ Do the same thing, but lean in towards her! You’re goin’ in for a kiss!”

“E-Excuse me? Are you crazy? I can't do that!” you spluttered out your words at the director. A suddenly dizzy spell was taking over, and you were sure it wasn’t because of the heat from the sun. Sakusa had his hands shoved in the pockets of his pants and seemed ready to blow up. A sickened looked donned his features at the request of the director. 

“Ah, it won’t be a kiss… but more like a tease?” the intern dubbed Monkey Number Two elaborated. Nodding his head up and down like a proud parent, the director urged him to continue talking. “Sakusa will be coming in _really_ close and that’s it. It'll just look like a kiss on screen!”

“…Um, that's...” You deliberated and felt your face getting hot once more at the thought that he was going to be inches away from you again.

“Pretty boy!” he director addressed Sakusa. Said boy looked ready to walk out. “You gotta do more with your face! Don’t just look like,” the director made his expression as grumpy as possible. “Loosen up a bit. You’re in the vineyards with your star crossed forbidden lover about to share a secret kiss. Keep that in mind.”

“...Will do,” Sakusa murmured, at this point he was speaking through gritted teeth. You probably wouldn’t have heard it if you weren’t right next to him.

“Then, _Hiccup!_ Start rolling!” 

Like before, you were leaning back into the concave portion of the stone archway, waiting for Sakusa to make his appearance. Since the production was occurring in the midst of the summer heat, there was a slight glean of sweat on his neck. He forced you to look upwards with the index of his finger guiding your chin, but this time he lightly brushed his thumb on your bottom lip. Trying your best to remain composed, you shifted your eyes to look downwards at the ground. 

The heat of his breath so close to your lips made your heart flutter; perhaps you were becoming delusional as he approached because your senses were suddenly going haywire. Your vision became hazy and you shut your eyes for a second. His lips were right next to yours and it was driving you insane.

“THAT’S IT! _CUT!_ WE GOT OUR SHOT!” the director cheered out and threw his script into the air. Sakusa pulled away from you and you felt your knees nearly give out. High-fiving everyone within a three foot radius of him, the director boisterously laughed at the successful take. “Send this to the editors and they’ll be goin’ nuts! Get ready for a big raise, boys!” 

Sakusa let out a soft “tch”as he watched the unruly director pop open a bottle of the Kabernet and pour glasses all around. Acting as if he hadn’t been indulging himself the whole time, the director took a swig straight from the bottle and began to dance with his interns.

“Did… that just happen?” you questioned while looking at the mess in front of you. The entire crew was celebrating by opening a multitude of wine bottles; one person even tried to spray it out like it was champagne.

“...Unfortunately,” Sakusa responded while walking away from the camera. Being complacent with the director for the entire shoot irritated him beyond belief. “I need to get dressed… and take a shower.”

_I should probably do the same,_ you thought and mentally slapped yourself when you stared at Sakusa’s walking figure for a second too long. _Seriously, I need to wash away everything that happened today..._

* * *

**EXTRA:**

“What the hell!” Atsumu screamed out as he replayed the commercial on his phone.

The other members in the changing room jolted at his sudden outburst, but they quickly recovered. He was usually usually rather dramatic during the day. Bokuto, the only one who gave him the time of day, approached the star setter, genuinely curious as to what got Atsumu upset.

“What’s up, Tsum-Tsum? Something wrong?”

Shoving the phone in Bokuto’s face, Atsumu restarted the video. “Would’ja look at this… I can’t even wrap my head around it!”

A dim screen was shown and the first note of a classical piece began to play. Animated rose petals swirled around on the screen and light dustings of sparkles followed. In fancy text, the words _“Kabernet, to be shared between star crossed lovers”_ were subtitled at the bottom. A close up shot going up from your collarbones began and then it zoomed out to showcase Sakusa making his entrance. His index finger slightly lifted your chin, the thumb of his hand brushing your bottom lip, and he angled his head in what appeared to be the initiation of a kiss.

But, before his lips ever meet with yours, the commercial transitioned to a different angle of Sakusa's approach. His lips were just a hair’s width away, only for it to be a tease as it moved onto showing a glass of red wine being poured. The text at the bottom then transitioned to say _“the taste will linger on your lips, like a kiss.”_ Finally, Sakusa was seen taking a sip of the red wine; he stared into the camera with half-lidded eyes and lifted the glass up, raising a toast with the viewers.

It was luxurious, elegant, and seductive.

“Disgustin’!” Atsumu covered his mouth with his hand in an attempt to stop himself from hurling. “And why the hell is [Name] in this too? I thought it was just Omi’s deal!” 

“Hey, hey, hey, they did a pretty good job!” Bokuto guffawed and then played the video once more against Atsumu's will. “Look at that chemistry. Makes me want to grab a bottle myself!”

_“Chemistry?_ The hell are ya seein’ that?” Squinting his eyes at the screen, Atsumu frowned as hard as possible. If he kept the face for a second too long it probably would have stuck on him. _“Urk!_ Just look at him tryin’ to be a smooth pretty boy. It makes me sick!”

“Aw, don’t be sad, dude!” Bokuto gripped onto Atsumu’s shoulder as a means to comfort him. “You’ll get your shot too one day!” 

Much to Atsumu’s dismay, the other members in the changing room chuckled at Bokuto’s tactless words.

“Shaddup, Bokkun!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure if I'm the only one, but when I think about Sakusa I also think about a glass of red wine paired with some fancy cheese and crackers. All neat and uppity. Totally Sakusa's vibe!
> 
> Thanks for reading! Hope you're all staying happy and healthy.
> 
> Peace.


	4. seating arrangements

Sometimes, away games _really_ got on your nerves. 

It wasn't that there was anything wrong with playing opposing teams in different stadiums; that part was absolutely fine. Enjoying the atmosphere of a different city was something you relished along with trying different local cuisine. Every city had a different culture to share. It was the traveling part that sucked. The endless amount of time spent on planes and trains and buses could seriously mess with a person. Working in any moving vehicle gave you headaches and being in such a closed off, confined space with a bunch of people wasn’t necessarily your cup of tea.

When you saw _him_ shove his bag in the overhead compartment of the row you were sitting in on the bullet train, you started to panic. A migraine was already beginning to present itself.

“Well, [Name], isn’t it yer lucky day,” Atsumu chimed as he plopped down in the seat next to you.

Alarmed, you quickly shut your laptop and gave him a bewildered look. “Excuse me? Aren’t you supposed to be sitting somewhere in the back with the rest of your teammates?”

Shifting in your seat, you turned around to scan the area behind you in the bullet train interior. To your absolute horror, all the seats were filled. The members were chatting amongst themselves; some already resting their eyes or eating their ekiben. Coach Foster and a handful of staff were seated all the way in the back of the train cabin. The only empty seat left in the cabin was the one next to Sakusa in the front row to the left of yours, but this was intended as he requested to sit alone. 

_Oh my god, this is a terrible miscalculation,_ you internally panicked and tried to come up with a solution. At your slight distress, Atsumu grinned cheekily. He had it in mind to make these next few hours absolute hell for you. There weren’t many options available, however, you noted the seat next to Sakusa. Trying not to get flustered at least week’s events, you squashed the idea of sitting next to him; your mind kept traveling back to the way his lips were nearly touching yours that it induced you to a blushing mess at the mere thought of it. 

There was only one other option.

“Sakusa,” you called out while moving your head so that Atsumu wasn't in your sight. “Do you mind switching seats with me?” 

His eyes flickered between you and Atsumu.

“I’d rather not sit next to _that_ for the entire duration of this ride.” Sakusa grimaced while staring at Atsumu. Offended, Atsumu’s jaw dropped slightly.

“Omi, don’t call me ‘that!’ Yer such a jerk!” said “that” yelled out and stood up from his seat.

In the midst of their arguement, you quickly looked back to find someone who would be willing to switch seats with you. Unfortunately, the ones sitting directly behind you had their eyes closed and were off in dreamland. You had half the mind to actually shake them awake.

“What? You have a problem with me saying the truth?” Sakusa retorted, his tone bored.

Pissed off, Atsumu was about to enter Sakusa’s personal bubble, however, a kind looking attendant sweetly informed him that he needed to take his seat as the train would soon be leaving the station before he got the chance to. He did as told and slumped down with his arms crossed. 

The intercom blared out for everyone to prepare for departure and you felt your soul leave your body. Of all people on this team it had to be _him._

Recovering from insult, Atsumu leaned a bit towards you as the train began to move. There was a shit-eating grin plastered on his face and he purred out his words, “Looks like we’re gonna be together for a while, [Name].”

“Oi, Miya,” Atsumu turned his head at hearing his name. Sakusa looked exasperated. “Quit it.”

“Just havin’ some fun, Omi,” Atsumu chuckled out and made himself comfortable in his seat.

Sakusa squinted his eyes in disbelief, but then slowly turned his attention to his phone. You felt the need to slam your head onto the pullout desk in front of you.

_This cannot be happening,_ you thought as you reopened your laptop and tried to finish a few tasks. Clicking on the keyboard, you drafted an email in silence. If Atsumu didn’t bother you too much then this ride would be bearable. Maybe you should have asked Sakusa if you could sit next to him, but you knew in the back of your mind that you’d be feeling way too self-conscious beside him after jacking his wine commercial.

_Ugh, it’s like I can’t win with these guys,_ you mentally groaned in your mind, fingers hitting the keys with more ferocity. 

“Don’t look so down, [Name],” Atsumu said with his body turned towards you.

Well, that silence didn’t last long. His tone was playful and he was leaning over the armrest that divided the seats in order to look at the screen of your laptop. “C’mon, yer sittin’ next to one of the handsomest bachelors in professional volleyball, talk to me a little and smile a bit.”

You could already feel your face heat up a bit as he talked in a low tone. However, his choice of words really pissed you off. It was a good thing you were accustomed to his ways and knew how to counter them.

“‘Handsomest bachelors?’ My eyes must be deceiving me because Ushijima from the Schweiden Adlers isn’t sitting next to me.”

At your words, Atsumu recoiled back in shock. His mouth was agape and for a second he struggled to even form words.

“T-The hell!” he shouted with his hands gripping his hair. The outburst was overdramatic and you rolled your eyes at him.

Returning your attention back to your laptop, you began to scroll through your emails. “Just let me finish my work, Miya.”

“C’mon, you don’t have that much work, spare a little time to talk to me!” Atsumu put a hand on the back of your laptop and slowly started to close it.

“Are you crazy?” you questioned him, and forced the laptop open. “Unlike _you,_ I actually have deadlines.”

He rolled his eyes and then shut your laptop once more. “I’m what yer work is, [Name]! Might as well pay attention to me right now.”

Crossing your arms in front of your chest, you scoffed at him. For someone so grown, he was acting in such an infantile manner.

“Fine then,” you gestured a hand his way in admitted defeat. “What do you have to say that’s so important, you big sleaze?”

“Hey! I’m not a sleaze!” He put a hand over his heart and sported a pained expression on his face. “Is that what you think of me?”

It took you no longer than a second to respond.

“Yes."

At your baldly response, Atsumu huffed out in stupefaction.

“What makes me a sleaze, huh?”

Without a moment’s hesitation, you held a hand up in front of him and began your spiel.

“The way you talk, the way you act, the way you just exist,” you said and used your fingers to count out all the instances in which he wronged you. It was unfortunate that you didn’t have enough fingers to accurately count every offense.

Shocked at how quick your reaction was, Atsumu grabbed at your hands to stop you from continuing. 

_“Just for existin’!”_ he yelled out. Sakusa sent another mean glare over at the raised noise level and eyed the way Atsumu was holding onto your hands.

“Yeah,” you said, all the instances of him acting like a dramatic baby playing through your mind like a movie. Some days he was bearable, even fun to be around, but right now he was truly getting on your last nerve. Yanking your hands away from him, you crossed your arms once more. “I don’t understand why you’re trying to make my job harder right now. Is it really that difficult for you to just sit down and stay quiet for once?”

Looking like you twisted a knife in his gut, Atsumu turned his entire body around so that now his back was facing you instead. Sure, a small part of you felt bad for insulting him, but at the same time he was being a complete nuisance when all you wanted to do was just finish some work. It really did feel like you couldn’t win with him.

_Perhaps Sakusa was right,_ you internally groaned and eyed the man sitting next to you. _Children are more level-headed than Atsumu._

* * *

The silence between you two lasted for thirty minutes. (And man, was it blissful to work without him interrupting you with his nonsense.) Checking the time, you realized you needed to update the official team account; for away games, the fans enjoyed seeing the travel process the team members went through. Turning your body around so that your knees were pressed to the back crevice of the seat in order to get a clear overhead view of the boys, you pulled out your phone and positioned it to landscape mode to take a picture.

“Quick photo for the account, guys!” you called out, careful not to say it too loudly for the members that were resting.

The ones who were awake smiled at the camera of the phone and you gave a countdown with your fingers. Inunaki posed next to Bokuto’s drooling face, his index fingers pointing at the top of his unstyled hair. Thomas and Barnes were in the middle of eating their ekiben; they sported innocent eyes as they looked up at the camera with their cheeks stuffed. In the midst of it all, Meian’s eyes were closed and he was hugging himself to sleep. The flash went off a couple of times and then you gave a thumbs up.

“Perfect! Thanks.”

You slipped back down into your seat and checked the few photos you took: the best one would be posted onto the official accounts. There was just one last photo to take of the two sitting in the same row as you. 

“Since you two weren’t in that photo, can you pose for me really quick? Some of the fans will be worried if we don’t include you two in the post.”

Sakusa gave a slight nod, but Atsumu sported a grumpy look.

“Miya,” you resisted the urge to roll your eyes at him. “Please cooperate with me.”

In a reluctant manner, he turned his body to face you. His expression showed that he was anything but pleased. 

“I’m pretty sure I’ve seen a kid act like this in front of Tokyo Tower when he didn’t want his mom to take his picture,” Sakusa pointed out, taking a jab at how childish Atsumu was acting. 

“Whatever, Omi.” Atsumu didn't have the energy to fight back and instead loosened up a bit. He finally smiled like how he usually would for a picture.

“Thanks,” you said and then inspected the photos you took in the same manner as before. Satisfied, you began drafting a caption and edited the picture to blur out the faces of the staff members in the back. 

> **@MSBYBlackJackalsVB:**
> 
> GOING TO TOKYO! The team is taking this time to rest after hours of practice (hey, hey, hey, check out Bokuto’s sleeping face). Who’s excited for our next away game? Tickets are still on sale on our official website and the venue site! Links are in our bio. Purchase of a ticket online before the game day will qualify you for a special raffle for a limited edition fan jersey signed by all the members of the MSBY Black Jackals! Please refer to the previous post for terms and conditions. #MSBYBlackJackals #Tokyo #SakusaIsSmilingISwear #ThomasAndBarnesLoveEkiben #LookAtOurCaptain #InunakiAdoresBokutosHair #Miya #CheerUsOn

After reading through and double checking everything, the pictures were posted on all platforms. As usual, the comments blew up with fans showing their support.

> **@bobobokuto1000:**
> 
> BOKUTO SLEEPING!! and good luck!! i’ll be cheering from my couch

> **@msbybjjpnfan:**
> 
> SO EXCITED!! I GET TO SEE IT LIVE!!

> **@vbformation:**
> 
> LET’S GO!!!

Now that everything was done for the day, you closed your laptop and pocketed your phone. It was around lunchtime, so you pulled out your ekiben to eat. Not missing a beat, Atsumu did the same and whipped out a couple of wrapped onigiri. There was a furikake coating surrounding them and the bite he made into the rice ball just made it look delectable. It was hard to look away.

“What?” Atsumu was still chewing his rice ball as he questioned you. 

“It looks good,” you answered truthfully and then took a bite of rice from your ekiben. Feeling a bit bad about before, you continued to converse with him. “Did you make that?”

“Nah, you know I have a twin brother, right?” He glanced at you and noted that you were paying full attention to him. Your body was turned to face him and he did the same. A smile crept up on his face as he talked. “Well, he works in the food industry and he makes pretty darn good onigiri.”

“Wow, that’s cool,” you commented. “I’ve always liked guys who knew how to cook.”

There was silence between the two of you as the train continued to move. He was holding his onigiri in his hands and his face contorted into a look of frustration. Feeling that you might have hit a sensitive spot, you decided to speak up.

“So who was the more popular one in school?”

“What?” He whipped his head towards you. There was a teasing glint in your eyes.

“Between you and your brother—who was the more popular one?”

“Me, _duh!_ ” Atsumu declared and then shoved the rest of his rice ball into his mouth. You were slightly grossed out and handed him a napkin to wipe away the few grains of rice stuck on the side of his lips. In a hasty manner, he unwrapped another onigiri to eat and you swore there was a slight tint of pink on his cheeks.

“I find that hard to believe,” you chuckled out and took another bite of rice out of your ekiben. While you were eating at a relaxed pace, Atsumu was shoving his food in his mouth in an unrefined way. It didn’t even look like he was chewing as he ate which worried you a bit. 

“What’s so hard to believe? I’m damn good lookin’!” He hurriedly unwrapped another onigiri; this time the rice ball was a bit charred on the side. When he took a bite there was an audible crunch.

“But if you’re good looking, then your brother has to be good looking too since he’s your twin,” you challenged him, wanting to keep the banter going on. He stopped his rushed eating and then stared you in the eye. It kind of freaked you out as he swallowed what was left in his mouth.

“You said it.” 

“Uh, said what?” 

He was beaming now. “That I’m good lookin'!” 

_Is he serious right now?_ you silently questioned him as you ate the last bites of your ekiben. Atsumu continued to eat his yaki onigiri in a sloppy manner. Once he was done he leaned in closer to you. 

“If you admit that yer into me now,” he whispered to you with half-lidded eyes. You drew your head back a bit and winced at the lack of space between you two. “We can go on a date once we’re in Tokyo.”

He was grinning from ear-to-ear, so sure that your answer will be a positive one. There was a silent moment between you two when you could hear the wind outside from just how fast the bullet train was going; you looked him directly in the eyes and he did the same. His honey eyes were filled with hope, even containing an almost childlike innocence to them.

_“Like hell I will!”_ you sneered at him and then shoved him out of your personal space. He was winded by just how much force you put into your palm. “Sure, you’re good looking, but you _really_ have a nasty personality! Add this to the list of sleazy things you’ve done!”

“[Name]!” he whined out and grabbed onto his chest. “Ya always do this!”

“Always do what?” You harshly pulled out the complimentary blanket from the compartment in front of you and spread it over your lap.

“Tease me and then reject me!” He was pouting and it made you scoff.

“So talking to you means that I’m teasing you?” You sent a scornful look and he shuddered from how mad you were. “I thought you said you wanted me to talk to you for a bit. I did just that when I finished some of my work and then the next thing you do is associate it with me wanting to go out with you?” You sighed out in mental exhaustion. It was as if your brain had to go over hurdles in order to have a conversation with him. “Ugh, I’m done with you right now. Don’t bother me while I rest.”

Closing your eyes, you leaned back into your seat and ignored Atsumu as he huffed in discontent. The warmth from the blanket hugged your tired limbs and your eyelids began to feel heavy. Even though it was still daylight, the light from the window didn’t bother you. In fact, the sunlight kissing your face lulled you to sleep. Your body shifted from side to side until you found the perfect spot to drift off.

* * *

When you finally opened your eyes and your consciousness returned, you noted that your head felt heavier than usual. 

And _wet._

_Oh hell no. This better not be what I think it is._

With your hand, you tapped a finger on the top of your head and felt something gooey. Unable to even form words as you put the pieces together, you shoved Atsumu off of you. His eyes reluctantly snapped open and, to your horror, you noticed a thin line of drool drag from your hair to his mouth. At the stimuli overload, Atsumu squinted his eyes and tried to process what was going on.

“Hey, the hell’s wrong—!”

Instead of letting him finish his words, you harshly pushed him back into his seat as you got up and ran to the bathroom located at the end of the train cabin. 

“You’re disgusting!” you hissed out at him, shielding the top of your saliva covered head with your hands. This was the most humiliating thing to have ever happened in your life. The fact that the train was about to arrive in Tokyo just made it worse as your hair would be completely wet once the drool was washed out.

Not understanding your anger, Atsumu merely stared in disbelief.

“Great job,” Sakusa sarcastically said in a disgruntled manner. "Really outdid yourself there."

Sakusa had seen the whole ordeal and was thoroughly convinced that—for as long as he lived—he would never sit next to Atsumu on any mode of transportation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will take a short break from updating this series as I will be spending the holidays with my family! Sorry about this, but I'll get back on it right after.
> 
> Thanks for reading and I hope you're all doing well! Stay happy and healthy.
> 
> Peace.


	5. introducing...

All your social media platforms were buzzing for the past few days. The tryouts for the MSBY Black Jackals already finished earlier in the week and you had been notified about a new member. There were many speculations regarding the recruit, more so than ever before. The last time there was such a crazy fuss was when Bokuto was officially drafted (apparently he had quite the following in high school). 

Today was the day you would finally be meeting the rookie during official practice. You were on the court ready to film a couple clips in order to hype up the fans about the new member along with asking a quick round of questions after practice in order to draft up a short introduction summary so the public could become familiarized with him. You actually arrived at the training facility earlier than usual and started sifting through your equipment at the designated seating area near the court. When the sound of the door being pushed broke through the silence, you expected Coach Foster to be walking in. 

Instead it was someone you had never seen before.

He sniffed the air and then let out a relaxed, almost content, sigh as he strolled in. He wasn’t as tall as the other players on the team, but there was a presence to him that you couldn’t quite put your finger on.

“Hey there!” you called out, waving gingerly at the newly scouted team member.

It seemed as if your voice broke through his train of thought as he flinched at your greeting; fast to recover, he then smiled your way and approached. He looked up, down, and all around the court with sparkly eyes as his grip on his duffle bag tightened. Following right behind him was Atsumu.

“Shouyou!” Atsumu caught up to him and then bumped fists with the new recruit. “Whoa, would’ja look at that tan! And you’re built as hell! I guess playin’ beach volleyball really does a number on a guy, huh? You’ve even grown a couple of inches!”

He nodded his head excitedly and grinned. “Miya! I can’t wait to play with you guys!”

_Wow, he’s quite the ball of sunshine,_ you thought as you witnessed their exchange of words. The two were talking as if they were best pals; the rookie shared anecdotes about his time in Brazil while Atsumu gave updates about players he was acquainted with. Ruffling the top of the new member’s head, Atsumu gave a hearty laugh and then turned his attention back to you.

“This yer first time meetin’ [Name]?” Atsumu gestured over to you. Realizing he kind of forgot about you, the rookie bowed and apologized in a flustered manner; you laughed it off.

“[Surname] [Name]. I’m the one who manages your online media content. I’ll be around sometimes for practice, games, and other events, so we’ll see each other pretty often. I look forward to working with you!” you introduced yourself to him and held up your camera in your hands. “We’ll be shooting some clips of you during practice today as well as an introductory video to post on our platforms. Once practice is over we’ll also do a quick interview so I can draft up a summary statement to post on our website and other networks.”

There was a sparkle of eagerness in his eyes as he stared back at you. “Hinata Shouyou, but you can call me whatever! I don’t mind nicknames.”

The doors burst open and this time Bokuto came running in. As soon as his eyes met Hianta’s, he bolted across the court with open arms and yelled out a war cry. Hinata dropped his duffel bag to the ground and did the same, his voice carrying a _“Bokutooooooooo!”_ which echoed throughout the room. Once they approached each other, Bokuto lifted Hinata up into the air and swung him around like a carnival ride. 

“Man, I can’t believe it’s Shouyou! Yanno, I played against him in high school a couple of times. Damn, those days were so intense.” His eyes were filled with a fondness you had never experienced as he kept talking. “He’s one of those guys you play and—doesn’t matter if ya win or lose—ya keep thinkin’ about the next time yer gonna play ‘em.”

“It definitely sounds like you two know each other,” you said and watched as Hinata practically leapfrogged over Bokuto’s shoulders.

More players entered the court and Hinata greeted each member, doing a courtesy bow while exchanging names. You and Atsumu stood at the sidelines, watching his hyperactive form take the initiative to make his presence known to his new teammates. A warm smile was plastered on Atsumu’s face as he reminisced about his high school volleyball days.

“Yeah, I’m glad I’m gonna get the chance to set the ball to a guy like Shouyou.” He had his arms crossed in front of him, looking like a proud parent. It seemed as if he was in an especially good mood. 

“He must be one amazing player for you to be singing praises out like that,” you replied, and continued to observe beside him. Hinata was now (more or less) conversing with Sakusa. There was a flash of distaste on Sakusa’s features as he stretched his body. Bokuto joined Hinata’s side to ogle at the flexibility of Sakusa’s wrists.

He chuckled. “There’s somethin’ about the kid that makes ya just wanna set the ball to him. Like he’s always hungry to play. I like players like that." He paused. "Feels kinda crazy for us to be here on the same team.”

_Atsumu isn’t so bad when he’s like this,_ you thought as you soaked in his words. Sure, he has the personality of a back alley city dumpster, but every once in a while he really knew how to redeem himself. Especially when he was on the court, concentrating on a game. The fixation on his passion was something not many people could compete with. 

“Aw, are ya fallin’ for me?” he sang out and then poked the side of your face, interrupting your thoughts.

You swatted his hand away harder than usual and he let out a yelp.

“God, absolutely not,” you said, nearly gagging. _Yup, still the same ‘ole back alley city dumpster personality. Maybe add a molotov cocktail to the mix._

He put a hand over his heart and sported a fake look of disappointment as you pushed him away.

“Make sure ya keep yer eyes on me today!” He barely budged and laughed aloud. “I’ll make it worth yer while!”

“I’m watching _Hinata_ today, that’s the whole point of me being at this practice,” you explained, annoyed at his antics. His skull was thicker than a brick. No, actually a single brick wouldn’t be able to compete with Atsumu’s hard head. The Great Wall of China might be a better comparison.

“One day! Yer gonna realize yer totally head over—!”

“Miya! Get your ass over here! _Now!”_ Meian yelled out, interrupting Atsumu with a fist in the air to proclaim his irritation towards the setter. His voice echoed out and Atsumu blanched as he realized Coach Foster was already on the court.

Wasting no time, Atsumu rushed back to the others and was lectured by Meian for a good minute before Coach Foster took over for official practice to begin.

* * *

You never would have guessed it, but Hinata could seriously jump. He wasn’t as tall as the other players, nor was he as strong as them, but he was an amazing allrounder. Any position on the court, he could do without any trouble.

Once practice finally ended, you beckoned Hinata over to where you were sitting. At first he almost followed the others back to the locker room, his tired form blending with the rest of the herd, but Bokuto noticed you try to wave him over and made Hinata do a 180 degree turn; Hinata flushed, having forgotten what you said a few hours before, and ran over to you.

“Sorry!” he apologized and plopped himself down in the seat next to you. There was an obvious sheet of sweat on his neck and his breathing was still a little heavy. 

“You’re fine, don’t worry about it,” you began and adjusted yourself in your seat with your laptop sitting on your lap. Hinata straightened himself up and balled his fists on top of his thighs. “I’m just going to ask a couple of questions so we can formally introduce you as a new member to the team. With your answers, I’ll make a little summary description about you. Nothing too serious.”

“R-Right!” he replied, louder than usual. His voice echoed in the almost empty gymnasium. You couldn’t help but giggle at his nervous state. He was treating this as if you were going to give him a pop quiz or something. Clearing your throat, you began your round of questions.

“Alright, first question: favorite food?”

“Eggs over rice!”

You tapped the answer into the online document.

“Any current concerns?”

“Um, I have a lot of sunblock left at home because of my time playing beach volleyball in Brazil.”

“Favorite place to be?”

“On the court!”

“Something you want to tell your past self?”

“Keep playing volleyball!”

“Something you can’t live without?”

“Volleyball!”

“What’s the best advice someone has given you?”

He paused for a second and then an _“ah, bingo!”_ expression flashed on his face. “That volleyball is a sport where you’re always looking up!”

“How do you want to be remembered in the world?”

“As a great volleyball player!”

“What would your perfect day consist of?”

“Playing volleyball, of course!”

You stared at every answer he made. They all went back to the same thing.

“What is something you’re looking forward to this upcoming season?”

“Getting to play volleyball against a bunch of strong players!”

“Can you tell me an interesting fact about yourself that you think would be important for the fans to know about you?

“Hm, I went to Brazil for a couple of years to play volleyball?”

The word "volleyball" took over the entire page. For a second, you were unsure of what else to ask. Hinata looked at you, innocent brown eyes wondering why you were silent for some time. Deciding that this was good enough, you continued on.

“Last thing, do you have any personal accounts? I’ll make sure to tag it on the official announcement post so people can follow you too.”

He smiled eagerly and then fished his phone out of his duffle bag he left at the side. With a couple of taps to the screen, he showed you his Instagram profile. You logged his user into the document. By instinct, your eyes wandered down to the few visible pictures on the screen.

One photo caught your attention. It was him standing on the golden sands during a sunny day. 

He was shirtless.

_And_ freaking ripped. Six pack and all.

Tanned. Sun-kissed. Sculpted by the heavenly deities themselves. Was he the son of Apollo? It certainly seemed so. 

_Holy crap,_ you ogled at the picture for a bit too long and bit the inside of your bottom lip. He was still holding up his phone in front of you, completely oblivious to the thoughts going through your mind. _He’s seriously fit! Is this guy for real? He could definitely be on the front cover of Men’s Fitness magazine or something, maybe once he debuts we could—_

“Hey, did you get it?” Hinata questioned and moved his head so that he was now making eye contact without the phone obstructing his vision. His voice suddenly sounded more melodic in your ears as you took in his features. 

You blinked a couple of times and came back down to Earth. “Y-Yeah! Thanks…”

At your answer, he pocketed the phone and scooted a little closer to you as he decided to make friendly conversation now that the little impromptu interview was done.

“Oh, can you let me know when you post about me? I want to show it to my family, especially my little sister. She kept talking to me about wanting to brag to her friends about her older brother, so once everything’s announced then she can show me off!”

Once again, you nodded your head at him, a bit tongue tied. You could feel the heat rise to your face as he spoke excitedly about his family and friends. 

“I never knew this kind of stuff happened behind the scenes. It’s _soooo_ cool that I get to be here right now and talk to you! I mean, I knew that players have a team and everything to take care of them, but _wow!_ Kageyama never really talked about this side of it. He would just give lame answers whenever I asked.”

“You’re friends with Kageyama?” you asked, a bit surprised. Your laptop was shut and you continued chatting with him out of complete curiosity. Talking with him didn’t feel like work and his infectious energy made you refreshed after such a long day.

“Yup! We played on the same team in high school. For three years! You’d never expect it, but he’s kind of a jerk. Sometimes he—”

“Shouyou,” Atsumu interrupted. It was as if he appeared out of nowhere. You completely forgot about the few others still on the court. Sakusa was waiting for the locker room to empty out while Atsumu stayed behind for Hinata in order to practice setting to him. “Don’tcha think ya should let [Name] off the hook now? It’s gettin’ kinda late.”

Hinata flushed at his realization. 

“I’m sorry, [Surname]!” He bowed his head and you waved your hands in front of you to show him that he didn’t have to apologize.

“There’s nothing to be sorry for!” You shot Atsumu a mean look and he rolled his eyes at you. Hinata straightened back up and you started to collect your things. “Everything will be up by the end of this week and I’ll definitely let you know so you can brag to your little sister.”

Another brilliant smile was sent your way as he stood up as well. 

“I’ll be off then,” you said once you finally got all your equipment packed up nicely.

“C’mon, Shouyou,” Atsumu cocked his head towards the court. “We got a lot of practicin’ to do.”

Without another word, Hinata zoomed over to get a cart of balls, leaving Atsumu in the dust as he stood next to you. 

“Guess you’ve taken a likin’ to him.”

“Yeah, he seems really…” You paused in the middle of your sentence as his toned body flashed through your mind. “Sweet.”

“But ya don’t like him as much as me, right?” he asked and slung his arm over your shoulders as he chuckled. His arm was heavy and moist from the sweat. One whiff and you could smell the salt on him.

“Ew, buzz off,” you dismissed him as you peeled him off of you. 

“[Name], yer always so mean to me!” Atsumu whined out and pulled an overdramatic pained expression. Grimacing at the scene in front of you, you seriously wondered why he always chose you as his target. “I’m nothin’ but nice to ya! Every day! Yer talkin’ to Bokkun and Omi-Omi and Wan-san, but when ya see me ya give me the cold shoulder!”

“You’re gross and sweaty right now,” you bluntly said and took a peek over at Hinata on the court. He was waiting for Atsumu, but didn’t want to interrupt you two. “Plus you’re making him wait for you. Talk about rude.”

He blanched at his realization and then trudged himself back onto the court.

“Bye, Hinata, Sakusa!” You were already at the exit and you gave one last wave. Atsumu stood with his arms crossed in front of his chest as he stared at you. “And you too, I guess!”

“What’s that supposed to mean!” Atsumu yelled out, but you were already out of sight. He sighed in displeasure and then shook his head as he dug his hand into the ball cart. “Man! She’s always hot and cold, it’s so hard to tell what’s goin’ on in her mind!”

“Hm? What do you mean? She seems really nice!” Hinata caught the ball Atsumu tossed to him and started taking a couple steps into the backzone.

“Yeah, to you,” Atsumu frowned and set the ball Hinata threw his way. The two were in sync as they continued with their conversation.

“Do you guys fight a lot?”

“Nah, not fightin’ it’s more like…” Atsumu pondered for a second and grabbed another ball in the cart. From the sidelines, Sakusa shook his head as he realized Atsumu was going to stretch the truth.

“This guy is always causing trouble for her,” Sakusa took the liberty to finish Atsumu’s explanation, his words calm and steady as he sat at the sidelines. “Saying things without thinking online and in interviews, running off during ad campaigns, always trash talking the other teams… It’s more like she’s his babysitter than someone she works for.”

“That’s not true!” Atsumu threateningly held up a ball, but Sakusa didn’t flinch. Both knew that if he actually threw it at him then all hell would break loose. “She’s just playin’ hard to get is all!”

Sakusa shivered in disgust. “Yeah, because girls want to date guys who drool all over their heads. How could I not know this.”

Atsumu’s face flushed as he remembered the Tokyo trip. 

“What do you mean by that?” Hinata asked innocently, wanting to know more about the story without completely prying for it.

“Don’t you dare! Shut yer mouth!” Atsumu yelled out, holding the volleyball up higher in the air to threaten him.

This didn’t stop Sakusa though.

“Our last game in Tokyo, that _thing_ next to you ended up—”

In a hazy moment of fury, Atsumu threw the ball at Sakusa’s face. It was a direct hit. There was silence between the three as the ball bounced onto the ground, rolling away. Atsumu held in his breath as he realized what he did while sakusa kept still, eyes following the volleyball on the ground. It looked like he was processing whether or not Atsumu actually did the unthinkable. Hinata, a bystander to the entire incident, was quiet, too scared to say a word as the tension within the room increased as time passed. 

“Hey, uh, we’re even now… For that other time ya threw the ball at my face! Remember, Omi? So we’re even! No hard feelings or anything!” Atsumu nervously tried to calm Sakusa down, voice shaking as he slowly took a step back.

The seconds passed like hours, and, after what seemed like an eternity, finally Sakusa took a few steps to the fallen volleyball on the ground and picked it up. Wordlessly, he turned to Atsumu. His jaw was clenched and his eyes locked onto his target.

“Miya,” he spoke, voice cold and devoid of any emotion. Atsumu's feet froze to the ground. Sakusa stood up from the bench and cracked his knuckles. Hinata shivered; the usual look of indifference on Sakusa’s features was now replaced with subtle rage. There was an intensity hidden in the depths of his eyes. He cocked his head to the side and glared. “Shut. Up.”

_Oh, I’m so dead. I’m more than dead. I’m goin’ to the afterlife and then dyin’ there too,_ Atsumu cowered as Sakusa took a couple of steps onto the court. For each step Sakusa made towards him, Atsumu took two steps back. 

“Hinata, _leave,”_ Sakusa commanded.

It didn’t take much convincing for Hinata to rush off and grab his duffle bag.

Glancing behind his shoulder before he left the court, Hinata couldn’t help but pity Atsumu. He was looking paler than ever as Sakusa approached with the intention of beating the ever-loving shit out of him (and he probably was going to do so). 

_Note to self,_ Hinata trembled as he heard Atsumu's screaming. _Don’t get on Sakusa’s bad side!_

* * *

**EXTRA:**

> **YOU:**
> 
> Check the official instagram, twitter, and MSBY site! I think you’ll be pretty happy about the newest posts.

> **HINATA:**
> 
> AH
> 
> I’m so excited! Thanks!

Without wasting any time, Hinata tapped on the screen of his phone a couple of times and found a video of himself as the newest post on Instagram. He gleefully expanded the post and read through the caption.

> **@MSBYBlackJackalsVB:**
> 
> We know you’ve all been waiting very patiently for this moment… and we’re excited to announce our newest Jackal: Hinata Shouyou! Hailing from the Miyagi prefecture, Hinata played volleyball during high school and even left Japan to train in beach volleyball. For two years, Hinata stayed in Brazil and made a name for himself as “Ninja Shouyou!” Now, he’s back and ready to show off his skills with the rest of the MSBY Black Jackals. This upcoming season, Hinata is looking forward to playing in the V. League against all the other great players. There’s nothing more that Hinata wants to do than stay on the court and play volleyball. Keep your head up because he’ll be sure to exceed your expectations! For more stats and info, check out the MSBY official site. #MSBYBlackJackals #HinataShouyou #NinjaShouyou #KeepLookingUp #CheerForOurRookie #SunshineBoy #AGreatAdditionToOurPack

“Wow, [Surname] totally made me sound super cool!” Hinata exclaimed and then scrolled through the comments. 

> **@msbybjjpnfan:**
> 
> OMG LOOK AT HIM GO!!!!

> **@msbysunshineboy:**
> 
> so i may or may not have already fallen in love with him oops

> **@b0kutoarmy:**
> 
> OH? I’m excited to see him on the court!!!!!!

He couldn’t help but hug his phone to his chest as he wiggled around on the couch in excitement. Before he forgot, Hinata quickly sent the link to all his friends and family. Within the next couple of minutes he received rounds of congratulations. He laughed in joy as he read some of the messages. From the corner of his eye, Hinata saw the door to Atsumu’s room open.

“Hey, Shouyou,” he looked exhausted and held an ice pack to his temple. The goose egg sized bump on his head was starting to disappear as the days passed. “D’ya mind keepin’ it down? My head’s killin’ me.”

“Oh, sorry!” Hinata got up from the couch and then walked to the kitchen. “Do you also want me to grab a new ice pack for you? You’ve been in your room for the whole day!”

Atsumu nodded his head and grunted out a “Yeah, thanks” as Hinata started filling a new bag with ice. He hummed to himself, still feeling happiness buzz within him in contrast to Atsumu’s state of dejection. The only thing on Hinata’s mind was the fact that his dreams were now a reality.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnnnnd here's our favorite sunshine boy!
> 
> Thanks for reading! I hope you're all taking care of yourselves during this time. Stay happy and healthy.
> 
> Peace.


	6. the animal shelter

Extending your arms to the sky, you stretched your limbs and let out a yawn. It was early, much earlier than you would usually be out and about for the day. The cool morning air chilled your bones and you had to rub your biceps to maintain a steady body temperature. Twilight had passed thirty minutes ago and the rising sun brought about a golden glow, welcoming you to seize the day.

_“Woof!”_

Ah, yes. Today was the day. Volunteer day. Every month a weekend was scheduled for the team and staff to contribute their time back into the community. For this month, the MSBY Black Jackals partnered with a local animal shelter to promote adoption and donation efforts.

So here you were, waiting outside of the facility with the other staffers as the members slowly started to file out of the bus. Some of the guys still had their eyes shut as they stumbled onto the lot while others looked like they couldn’t wait to start the day (Bokuto).

A few volunteers from the shelter stood outside along with the coordinators of the volunteer event to welcome everyone. It wasn’t a large building, about the size of a townhouse, but it certainly seemed lively. Barking could be heard from where you stood and a couple of cats spared a single glance your way before going back to lazing on the porch, slipping off to their daydreams. Once everyone was gathered, things proceeded as planned.

“Welcome,” an older woman—most likely the shelter director—took a few steps to distinguish herself from the rest of the volunteers. She had her hands clasped together in front of her, a kind expression set on her features as her eyes skimmed through the crowd. “We’re so excited to have you all volunteer today! Please, make yourselves comfortable and we’ll show you all around. Once that’s done we’ll separate you off to groups and give you different tasks for the day.”

After these words, the boys bowed and gave a singular greeting. The shelter director chuckled and then strolled back into the facility. Another volunteer took the liberty to lead everyone inside and begin a tour of the entire place; it wasn’t huge, so it didn’t take very long to finish. The animals were separated from each other: dogs kept on the first floor, cats on the second. At the end of the tour, the team was graced with a free period to explore and play with the animals as the event coordinators and the shelter volunteers started preparing some of the tasks. Sakusa took it upon himself to go straight outside and wait until the shelter director gave everyone their group assignments.

As soon as attention was given to them, the animals were merciless with trying to keep your eyes on them. You stayed downstairs to play with the dogs along with Inunaki, Bokuto, Hinata, and Atsumu. Contrasting Sakusa’s attitude, Bokuto went straight to lifting the smaller dogs into the air and coddling them like little babies. Atsumu and Hinata were trying to one up each other on who could get the most dogs to tail after them, using toys and treats to lure the dogs their way. The least chaotic of the bunch, Inunaki, was crouched down in the corner, giving his attention to a few of the older, less energetic dogs. 

“Inunaki, you really look like you’re in your element,” you said, joining his side as he played with a few of the smaller stature dogs. He was swinging a small toy in front of their faces and they lazily moved their heads back and forth like a pendulum. “Do you like animals?”

“They’re cute aren’t they?” Inunaki replied back to you and started to pet the dogs on the head. “I mean, it’s hard to not love them! They remind me of my own dog back at home.”

You were now crouched down beside him and also joined in on giving pets and scratches. They seemed starved for attention and loved every second that was given to them. At your touch, the dogs sent wide eyes your way, begging you to continue.

“You’re right, they’re adorable!”

The conversation between you two was kept lighthearted with the topic of your chit-chat ranging from things as mundane as favorite dog breeds to the intensity of his new workout regimen from the trainer. Attracted by the attention you and Inunaki were giving out, a couple larger dogs from the opposite side of the room bolted towards you two. While Inunaki had the leg and core strength of a horse from all his time training, you were not gifted with this and nearly ended up getting knocked down had it not been for Inunaki’s fast reflexes. He quickly moved his arm behind your back to steady yourself back onto your feet.

“Whoa! You alright?” His hand was still pressed against your back, a look of obvious concern in his eyes. The larger dogs didn’t hesitate to continue their love attack as they sat themselves in front of you with their favorite toys in their mouths, practically begging you to toss it up for them.

“I’m fine!” you replied, a bit too fast. It really was a good thing Inunaki was there to catch you in time or else you would have tumbled back and hit your head against the wall.

He didn’t seem to notice your embarrassed state and sent a smile your way; as if nothing had happened, he continued on with the conversation, his eyes flickering from you to the dogs in front of him. Being with him was so engaging, you almost didn’t notice Atsumu coming over and plopping himself down next to you.

“Hey, would ya look at this guy!” Atsumu pointed to one of the bigger dogs and then tried to take the toy out of its mouth. “Ain't he just the cutest lil—"

The dog started growling at Atsumu, baring its fangs. You all froze and, as soon as Atsumu withdrew his hand away, the dog went back to being a slobbering, loving mess. It wiggled its body towards Inunaki’s way along with the rest of the pack.

“Oh, maybe you should go upstairs to the cat room…” Inunaki suggested, a nervous laugh coming out of his chest at the absurdity of the situation.

All the dogs surrounded Inunaki, trying to win over his affection as they practically crawled all over him. Atsumu stood there, completely dumbfounded. He tried to reach out again, and, like before, all the dogs stopped and snarled at him.

Atsumu stood up, betrayed. “Alright then, c’mon [Name] let’s go check out—”

Right at that instance, more of the dogs herded themselves your way as well, circling you as they swarmed. You sent an apologetic look towards Atsumu as some of the puppies started nibbling on the indoor sandals you were wearing. He threw both hands into the air and tried to hide his annoyance.

“Ya know what, that’s fine! I’ll just take Shouyou with me!”

Feeling utterly defeated, Atsumu grabbed Hinata’s wrist and started dragging him along. Hinata picked up on the irritation building up within Atsumu and decided to not question it.

Once they made their way upstairs, Hinata and Atsumu found the feline room to be unoccupied. The cats were unbothered by their presence. Hinata was the one who was most keen on interacting with the animals, picking up a few cats and even blowing some air into their face playfully which resulted in nearly getting scratched a couple of times. Not really caring too much for the cats, Atsumu maintained a staring contest with one of them. His concentration was broken when Hinata tugged at his sleeve.

“Hey, Atsumu,” Hinata began and pointed at a black cat isolated in the corner of the room they were in. It was sitting with perfect posture on a cat tree, eyeing both Hinata and Atsumu warily. “Doesn’t that cat kind of look like Kageyama?”

Atsumu turned to where Hianta was pointing and took a couple steps to get a closer look.

“Holy smokes!” Atsumu bellowed out a laugh and pointed a finger at the cat. The cat was practically scowling at him now. “Yer right! It’s Tobio, but in cat form!”

“It’s kinda scary how similar it looks to him!” Hinata nodded his head and the two started to make their way closer to it. The cat tilted its head, questioning just what the two were thinking of doing.

“C’mon, let’s go get a picture with it! It’ll be hilarious to post.”

Once again, Hinata nodded his head in agreement and then pulled his phone out. 

“What kind of pose should we do?” Hinata was getting a lot more excited. Even though it was just a cat, he felt this was his one and only chance to get back at Kageyama off the court.

“Ya ever seen that one movie with the lions? And they hold up the baby lion into the air all majestic?” Atsumu chuckled into his hand at the thought. “Shouyou, d’ya mind taking my picture first?”

Hinata shook his head and readied the phone in his hands as Atsumu started to get closer to the cat. It narrowed its eyes at him.

“He’s kinda got a mean look on his face,” Atsumu said. He tilted his head up in an attempt to show off his dominance.

“Yeah, now that it’s glaring at you it looks even more like Kageyama!” 

Atsumu reached out and, surprisingly, the cat didn’t make a fuss when in his arms. Though, it didn’t look very pleased.

“Ready, Shouyou?”

Hinata gave a thumbs up.

As soon as Atsumu held the cat up into the air, it started going crazy. It howled out and violently thrusted its body back and forth to free itself from Atsumu’s grasp. In complete shock, Atsumu let go and took a step back. As soon as it landed on its feet, the Kageyama cat quickly began to climb up to the top of the cat tower to commence an aerial attack. It meowed out a war cry and aimed its claws at them.

“Argh! It’s just as mean as Kageyama!” Hinata screamed out and ducked to dodge its claws. 

The cat was agile and weaved its way through their legs, avoiding Atsumu’s hands as he tried to pick it up again. In another attempt, it climbed back up to the cat tree and then jumped them. After a few cycles of this, the cat accidentally knocked down the tower and started to go for their legs instead.

Due to years of experience, Hinata was able to avoid every single attack sent his way. Unfortunately, Atsumu was not as lucky and ended up getting scratched right in the face. Even though the entire room was now a gigantic mess, the Kageyama cat continued to scream at them and make vicious attacks. The bowls of water were flipped over and bits of cat kibble littered the ground. At the ruckus, the other cats started to join in on the madness; the ones stuck in their cages cried out to be freed while the ones outside nibbled on the bits of food scattered about or swatted at both Atsumu and Hinata.

Every meow howled out by the Kageyama cat seemed to hold a different meaning.

“Meow!”

_Idiot!_

“Reowr!”

_Runt!_

“Hiss!”

_Dumbass!_

Hinata was left dumbstruck. It was as if the real Kageyama was right there in front of him.

After a few minutes of madness, footsteps could be heard and the Kageyama cat quickly collected itself. It hid away in a corner as it sent one last glare directed at the two boys.

“What’s going on in here?” You peeked your head into the room. To your surprise, it was a complete mess. “Oh my God, you have to be kidding me…”

Meian was right behind you and as soon as he stepped foot into the room he let out the longest sigh in human history. There was no hiding the irritation on his face.

“Really?” was all he could muster out as he scanned the disaster before him.

The two in the middle of the room were speechless; they pointed to the Kageyama cat sitting in the corner and used their arms to gesture what happened the few minutes before you and Meian came upstairs.

“Just clean it up,” Meian shook his head in disappointment and then turned on his heels to go back downstairs, not wanting to hear whatever explanation they had to justify what happened. “And come downstairs when you’re finished. The shelter director is about to give us our tasks so we can start helping out.”

With those last words, Meian left. A small part within you felt rather sorry for the two and you decided to help out with cleaning. Grabbing a couple of paper towels, you began to wipe up the spills; Hinata and Atsumu picked up the stray bits of kibble and threw them out. Lastly, the cat tower was oriented back upwards. It didn’t take long to finish tidying up.

“What happened to your face?” you questioned Atsumu and then took a couple steps to look at the damage. There were intersecting scratch marks right smack in the middle of his face. “What did you do…?”

“It wasn’t me! It was _that!”_ Atsumu pointed an accusatory finger at the Kageyama cat from across the room. It was now sitting on the cat tree, its tail swinging back and forth playfully, eyes rounded to give an innocent appeal.

“This guy?” You approached the cat and then started to scratch the top of its head. It gave deep purrs as it stood up and brushed itself against your hand to continue. “It’s so sweet though… Did you do something to provoke it?”

Atsumu honestly couldn’t believe what was happening.

“No! That thing is messin’ with ya, [Name]!” He grabbed at your arm to stop you from petting it. The Kageyama cat squinted its eyes and sat still, watching Atsumu’s every move. “That thing is evil. He’s just actin’ like a goody two shoes 'cause yer here! Just take one good look at it right now!”

Hesitantly, you turned to look at the cat. Its eyes rounded again and it meowed for you to come back.

“Miya, I think you’re overreacting.” You rolled your eyes and then went back to the cat. It stood still and you picked it up into your arms. “I mean, how can this sweet little guy hurt anybody?”

The cat voiced a _“mew!”_ in agreement.

_This means war, ya dumb kitty,_ Atsumu made a belligerent face to the cat and put his two fists up.

“Ugh, stop that,” you dismissed his attitude and cradled the Kageyama cat in your arms. At every word you spoke, it nuzzled itself into your chest. This only made Atsumu even more gung-ho on sending mean looks its way. “The volunteer staff was looking for you and Hinata. They already put us into groups for the day and set aside some tasks for you guys.”

Not wasting another second, you held up the cat in front of you, towards Atsumu’s way. He recoiled back and tried to distance himself from it. Even Hinata looked a bit frightened by the cat’s presence. You tried your best not to laugh at their melodramatics.

“So, unless you want to spend all day with this guy, then go downstairs!”

They didn’t need any more convincing as they raced down back to the first floor.

* * *

“Oh, it looks like one of those scenes in the romance dramas! You know what I mean, right?” Hinata exclaimed, a little bit excited as he put a hand over his cheek like a swooning high school girl. He was crouched down, staring at the end of the hallway where you and Inunaki were. The door to the bathroom was wide open and you had been paired up with Inunaki to bathe some of the dogs. Bubbly laughter could be heard at the end of the hallway and Hinata let out a sigh of content. “It’s like the moment where the leads first realize they’re in love!”

“No, I really don’t know what ya mean, Shouyou!” Atsumu instantly rejected what Hianta was trying to say, trying to move away from the conversation, but Hinata didn’t get the hint.

“It’s when the leads get closer to each other and the background music goes _‘Shalalalalalala!’”_ Hinata sang the last part out, his index fingers dancing back and forth. 

For a moment, when they both looked at you and Inunaki, the scene really did play out like a drama. The dog in the small tub shook the excess water off of its fur and you both drew back to avoid the droplets, laughing together at the mess. Small foaming bubbles flew into the air as the dog splashed about excitedly. At one point, a tiny mound of foam fell onto Inunaki’s hair and you took the initiative to wipe it off. He scooted a bit closer to where you were kneeling since the dog was treading back and forth in the tub. The conversation between you two seemed to be engaging, mutually friendly as you laughed at whatever joke he was making while he nodded his head to what you were saying.

“I feel like I can just hear the background music from looking at them!” Hinata’s eyes sparkled in delight. “Wow, isn’t this exciting, Atsumu?”

In contrast to Hinata’s cheerful manner, Atsumu was crouched down, hugging his legs with his chin resting on his knees. He didn’t even bother to respond as he stared at the hardwood floor.

“Uh, Atsumu?” Hinata turned around and saw the sad state of his senior.

Hinata quickly realized that that he probably should have kept his mouth shut. Atsumu was pale all over and unable to give a proper response back. At the moment, he resembled a ghost more than an actual person.

“Oi, quit moping and get up,” Sakusa said, irritated at how moody Atsumu was at the moment.

Atsumu was still staring at the ground, completely uninterested in anything else. He didn’t even care about the repercussions of arguing with Sakusa.

“Don’t wanna.”

“I said get up," Sakusa commanded again. "The dogs aren’t going to walk themselves.”

Sakusa really wasn’t having any of it today. It was already bad enough he had to be in a room filled with shedding hair. Dealing with Atsumu’s melancholic state was pushing him over the edge. When he didn’t receive a response back, Sakusa grabbed one of the leashes and put it around Atsumu’s neck to drag him to the front door.

“Hey! I’m not a dog!” Atsumu choked out; his will to fight was reignited as he pulled the leash off. At his outburst, the dogs that were caged started to get rowdy and began barking up a storm. “The hell’s yer problem, Omi!”

Sakusa chose not to answer and latched a leash onto one of the smaller dogs, figuring it would be less of a hassle to deal with. He was already stepping out the door, but before he shut it completely he eyed Atsumu over his shoulder.

_Don’t make me say it a second time._

Throwing his hands into the air in defeat, Atsumu really felt like he couldn’t win today.

* * *

The day was finally coming to a close. To be honest, this was one of the best volunteer days you’ve had in a long time. Nothing had gone wrong and everyone behaved themselves. Concluding the day, all the members were huddled together for a picture along with the staff and volunteer crew.

“We need one last picture! With everyone all together!” you called out, holding the camera in your hands. Everyone was getting ready to pose, each person holding a pet that could be adopted. Well, everyone except Sakusa. “Sakusa, you’re kind of sticking out like a sore thumb. Are you sure you don’t want to at least hold up one of the cats or something?”

“No, that’s fine.” He really couldn’t be bothered with touching one of the animals.

You didn’t want to push it too much because you knew of Sakusa’s tendencies. This didn’t stop one of the staff from picking up a small dog and wrapping it up with a blanket for him. He had his best poker face on as he took hold of it and looked at the camera.

“Okay, I’ll take a couple! Look this way and smile!”

You held up three fingers into the air to start a silent countdown. As you snapped the first series of pictures, you noticed Sakusa’s look of indifference morph into that of repulsion; his eyes widened and his lips parted slightly. His entire body stiffened and he let go of the bundled up puppy in his hands. Gasps could be heard and, through instinct, you slapped your free hand over your mouth as you watched gravity take hold of the bundle.

Thankfully, with his fast reflexes, Inunaki caught the puppy with a single hand.

Inunaki's eyes widened and his face went pale.

“I-It’s…” He shuddered and then gently set the bundled up puppy onto the ground. It started to wiggle its way out of the towel it was wrapped in. For a good while, Inunaki stared at his hand in horror. “It’s wet…”

Sakusa looked just about ready to pass out.

* * *

**EXTRA:**

“What’s so great about Wan-san?” Atsumu grumbled to himself, his posture resembling that of a troll. In contrast to his grumpy state, the dog he was walking was practically skipping by his side. It sniffed at anything and everything and yapped every now and then.

“Well, for one, he actually knows how to wash his hands properly.” Sakusa zeroed in on Atsumu’s digits. He shivered at the thought of the grime probably left between the fingers.

“I know how to wash my hands, Omi-Omi!” Atsumu yelled at the absurdity of the statement.

“No, you really don’t.”

“Ya just put yer hands under water and add soap! I’m not gonna do a seven step regime like _some_ people!”

“With the state your hands are in, you really ought to,” was the last thing Sakusa said.

From the corner of his eyes, Sakusa saw Atsumu bringing a hand to his nose to sniff at it. He shuddered in disgust and took a step away to widen the gap between them.

The two continued on the walk in silence. Atsumu was irritated at the moment and cursed whoever paired them together. Out of all the people on the team it had to be _him._ His eyes were focused on the road ahead of them and he noticed Sakusa’s dog take to the crouched position.

“Hey, wait, yer pup is takin’ a dump,” Atsumu pointed out rather bluntly as he stopped walking. Once the last bit plopped out, the dog looked up at Sakusa, expecting him to continue on the path. There was a look of abhorrence on Sakusa’s face as he stared at the pile. “Well? Pick it up, man.”

Sakusa said nothing and the dog tugged on the leash to continue on. He was like a statue.

“Uh, Omi? You good?”

“Miya,” his voice was even and he refused to look Atsumu in the eyes. He bit his bottom lip and shut his eyes for a second, thinking how to go about this situation.

“What?”

“...Can you…”

It looked like it pained Sakusa to talk.

“Can I what?” Atsumu nearly groaned out. He wanted to add in a snide remark, but he was afraid of getting choked out by a leash again.

“...Can you pick it up…” 

Atsumu stared at him with wide eyes. Of course, Sakusa’s worst nightmare: picking up a pile of dog poop. A mischievous grin made its way to his face as he knew he had leverage on the situation.

“What’s the magic word, Omi-Omi?” Atsumu said in a sing-song fashion, an obvious shit eating grin present on his lips.

Sakusa narrowed his eyes.

“...Pick up the dog shit? _Now?”_ Sakusa wasn’t in the mood to play games.

These weren’t the words Atsumu wanted to hear, so he shrugged his shoulders and then started walking back to the animal shelter.

“Nah, that wasn’t the magic word. Sorry!” He nearly cackled.

Sakusa sighed out as loud as he could.

“Please,” Sakusa mumbled the word out, just loud enough for Atsumu to hear.

“What was that?” Atsumu asked, doing a 180 degree turn back so he could now look at Sakusa’s face. “I didn’t hear ya right! Who’re ya talkin’ to?”

Sakusa took a second to collect himself. The dog continued to tug on the leash, whining to continue on their walk. He took in a deep breath and closed his eyes for a second time, praying to all the deities willing to hear him.

“Miya… Please. Help. Me.” He said the words through his gritted teeth.

The grin on Atsumu’s face only grew wider. 

“Alrighty! I guess I’ll help ya out!” He grabbed a bag out of his pocket and then did the deed. “Now was that so hard, Omi?”

Instead of retorting back, Sakusa kept quiet. The two continued back to the shelter. With his small victory, Atsumu felt it was justified to continue annoying Sakusa. He swung the bag in his hand as he walked and failed to notice Sakusa’s grip on the leash tighten.

“Oi, quit it. That thing in your hand is literally a biohazard.” Sakusa tried to keep his distance a couple paces away, but Atsumu continued closing in. He held the bag up so that it was now eye level for the two. In repulsion, Sakusa instantly recoiled. “I said stop!”

Atsumu laughed at his shenanigans, still using the bag of dog poop to taunt Sakusa.

“It’s in a bag! Quit actin’ like it’s gonna hurt ya!”

Again, Atsumu tried to get closer, however, Sakusa really couldn’t take it anymore.

Instead of the leisurely walk they were supposed to have, Sakusa began to sprint back to the shelter as fast as he could. He wasn’t going to take any more chances. Atsumu was quick to follow behind, chasing Sakusa with a bag of dog poop in hand and roaring at his teammate to slow down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if anyone else had to do this when they were part of their school's sports club, but when I played tennis in high school I had to fill a volunteer criteria in order to play. We mostly taught kids how to play tennis and get active during the spring and summertime, so nothing too wild like what Atsumu went through in this chapter. Man, I remember this chapter was crazy when I initially wrote it back in the summer... rereading it had me scratching my head thinking "What in God's name is this?" HAHAHA
> 
> Anyway! Thanks for reading + I hope you guys are staying happy and healthy!
> 
> Peace.


	7. shorts compilation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy, this chapter's a bit different as it was composed of small little shorts (not large enough to be stand-alone chapters) I wrote on my original tumblr (but have since deleted haha). Each one has been sectioned off and there's a bit of a surprise at the end notes!

> **short 1: going blond**

“Wow, look at these edits the fans made for you, Sakusa!” You showed the picture you found on your social feed to Sakusa. He leaned down slightly to get a better look. “I think blond hair would really suit you.”

“Really,” was all Sakusa could say. He never thought about dyeing his hair.

“Yeah!” You scrolled on your phone a bit more and showed him some more examples. There were many pictures of him edited with light blond hair. “The fans did a great job with these. Just from looking through all the posts I feel like this color would be nice on you.”

He didn’t say anything, instead he squinted his eyes at the screen and then nodded his head slightly before focusing his gaze back onto the court. It was the end of practice, however, most of the members were still on the court finishing up their cool down stretches. Sakusa was doing his usual ritual of waiting around for the locker room to clear out and sometimes you would chat with him before you officially left.

“Whatcha lookin’ at, [Name]?” Atsumu had finished his stretching and joined in on the conversation.

“Here,” you moved your phone to show Atsumu the picture of Sakusa with blond hair. “Don’t you think this color would look good on Sakusa?”

Atsumu put a hand to his chin and started sporting his thinking face, his eyes analyzing every aspect of the photo presented to him. 

“Yeah, maybe. But he wouldn’t look as good as me!” He laughed and slapped his thigh at the prospect of Sakusa dyeing his hair.

Beside you, Sakusa glared over your head at him.

“Miya, really?” you sighed out. Anything that came out of his mouth was like a taunt to start a fight. You grabbed your bag and the rest of the camera equipment you brought for the day. “Well, I guess I’ll be off then.”

“Huh? We just started talkin’!” Atsumu objected to your departure and followed after you to talk your head off. "Hold up!"

The two of you started to argue about this and that all the way to the double doors of the court. Inunaki joined in to mediate the conversation between you two and then started to drag Atsumu to the locker room.

Sakusa kept to himself, lost in his thoughts at the court side. He pulled on a strand of his hair and examined it between his fingers for a short while before letting go. Most of the members had left the court by now, already done with cooling down. Sakusa mussed his hair with his towel, mind wavering from your suggestion.

* * *

“Hey, hurry it up in there!” Atsumu banged his fist against the bathroom door. This was the downside of sharing a dorm with a bunch of other guys: the bathroom was almost always occupied. “I gotta take a leak! Ya been in there for hours, man!”

There was no answer. Atsumu roughly knocked using his knuckles. The only response he got was the sound of the hair dryer going off.

“Are ya cleanin’ the entire bathroom or somethin’? Jeez, I don’t have time for this, Omi-Omi! I’m seriously gonna spill one all over!”

Still no response. There was a _click_ to signal the hair dryer was turned off.

“I’m gonna piss myself right here, _right now,_ if ya don’t let me in!” 

A few seconds later the bathroom door opened and Sakusa walked out. He had a towel draped over his head, covering his hair. Atsumu’s eyes widened and for a moment he forgot about his bladder.

Standing before him was Sakusa.

His hair was blond now.

And it actually looked _really_ good on him.

“T-The hell, dude?” Atsumu yelled out as he pointed a finger at Sakusa’s head. He knew his actions were rude, but he didn’t care. “What’s up with yer hair! Who are ya and where’s the real Omi!”

“I thought you needed to use the bathroom, Miya.”

Sakusa didn’t answer Atsumu’s question and instead went over to the living room to relax on the couch. He was acting as if nothing changed. The towel was now hanging on one of his shoulders as he started to flip through the channels on the TV.

For a second, Sakusa took his eyes off the screen and glanced at Atsumu. His mouth was hung open and disbelief was painted on his face. He was still pointing a finger and trying to make sense of the situation.

“Blond? Omi? _What?”_ It seemed as if Atsumu’s speech reverted back to prehistoric times.

“Is there a problem, Miya?” Sakusa was getting tired of hearing his voice so late at night.

“I’m the blond one!” Atsumu pointed a finger at himself and groaned out in indignation. “What even got ya wantin’—”

Atsumu stopped himself as he recalled the events the day prior.

_“Here,” you moved your phone to show Atsumu the picture of Sakusa with blond hair. “Don’t you think this color would look good on Sakusa?”_

“Yer kiddin’ me,” Atsumu shook his head in denial as he nearly screamed out. “Yer kiddin’ me, Omi!”

“What?” Sakusa was starting to get a headache. “Just spit it out.”

“Ya got the hots—!”

“Oh, finally! Bathroom’s open!” a voice called out in a cheery manner, interrupting whatever Atsumu was going to say.

Atsumu quickly turned around and saw it was Bokuto. At that moment, Atsumu remembered his bladder.

“Hey, wait!” Atsumu started making a beeline to the bathroom. Unfortunately for him, Bokuto rushed right in and quickly locked the door. Once again, Atsumu was stuck outside, knocking and jiggling the knob. “C’mon, man! I was here before ya!”

“Sorry, Tsum-Tsum! I gotta do the doo-doo!” Bokuto laughed at his joke from the other side of the door while Atsumu tried his best to not curse.

The poop joke was the last straw for Sakusa. He stood up and turned off the TV.

“I’m going back to my room,” Sakusa mumbled out as he left the common area.

“Hey! We’re still not done talkin’, Omi!” Atsumu turned right around and used his arms to block the entire hallway, preventing Sakusa from going back to his room. “We still gotta discuss ‘bout— _Yeouch!”_

Sakusa had pulled the towel off his shoulder and whipped Atsumu with it. He was cowering in fear as Sakusa made his way back inside his room.

_“Ya prickly blond jerk!”_

* * *

> **short 2: sakusa's first post**

“Are you ready?” you asked, a serious expression donning your features as you stared at Sakusa from across the table. Half of his face was obstructed by the mask he was wearing, but his eyes were all business.

He gave a curt nod, signaling for you to go for it. You took a deep breath and then focused your eyes onto the phone. It was laying flat on the table, its screen almost blinding you from how bright it was.

“You know there’s no turning back, right?”

“That’s fine,” was his response. In a swift motion, you tapped the screen and then clapped your hands together in excitement.

“You’re all set then! I’ll be sure to start tagging you in the new posts on the official team account, and don’t forget the rules I told you about earlier. As long as you follow them then you don’t have to send me your posts for approval.” You slid his phone back to him, a happy grin now plastered on your face. The fans had been begging for Sakusa to finally get a personal Instagram account, and today was the day. There really was nothing to worry about with Sakusa. He wasn’t the type to impulsively post raunchy photos or go live and start talking smack about the other teams (Atsumu). “Just message me if you’re unsure about anything and I’ll help out. Or even ask the other guys!”

Once you finished talking, the alarm on your phone went off inside your bag, reminding you of the time. In a rush, you gathered all your stuff into your arms and jumped out of your seat.

“That’s my cue. I gotta go now or I’ll be late for my meeting!” You gave one last look over your shoulder at Sakusa. Yeah, you could definitely trust him with what he posted. If anything, he’d probably just post nothing on his personal account for a couple of weeks. “I’ll see you guys later in the week for the Mikasa sponsorship posts!”

With those last words, you took off out of the facility, leaving behind Sakusa who was now immersed in his phone.

* * *

“Omi-Omi, whatcha gonna post? Yanno, first posts are always important.” Atsumu was lazing on the couch in the shared living room, his eyes focused on the television screen. It was a rewind of a previous V. League season game. “Got any ideas?”

“A picture.” 

Atsumu let a groan escape his lips and sat up straight. “No, duh.”

He stretched his arms and then reached for his phone on the coffee table. There was a moment of silence between the two as Atsumu focused on his phone, Sakusa keeping to himself as he sat on the ground and watched the match. 

“Here, look,” Atsumu tapped Sakusa’s shoulder and held his phone out in front of him. On the screen was an older picture of him in his high school uniform, he was holding a volleyball in one of his hands and was doing a two finger salute with the other. “Ya see this? People look at that first post and think ‘Huh, so this is the kinda guy ‘Tsumu is! Hard workin’ since the very beginning!’”

Sakusa kept his face blank and took a once over glance. He really couldn’t have cared less.

“Alright.”

“Omi! C’mon, work with me here!” Atsumu really was trying his best, but Sakusa wasn’t having any of it. “You ought to be thankful a helpful guy like me is—!”

Suddenly losing all interest in the conversation, Sakusa stood up and went straight to his room, not even sparing another glance at Atsumu. Offended, Atsumu got up and started following him. 

“Hey! Least ya could do is listen to me!”

“No, that’s actually the most I could do.” Sakusa was already in the process of opening the door to his room. He stepped inside and, before he shut Atsumu out, he gave a warning, “I’m going to bed. Don’t bother me again.”

And with that, Atsumu was left alone in the middle of the hallway. He let out a disgruntled sneer from the back of his throat and then grumbled all the way back to the living room. It wasn’t late enough for Atsumu to feel tired, heck it really wasn’t late enough for Sakusa to feel tired. The others were back in their rooms too, so Atsumu was stuck by his lonesome until it was time to retire for the night. 

When he arrived back, Atsumu realized he struck gold. He took a quick peek behind his shoulder and then rushed to the end table of the couch. A feeling of adrenaline rushed through his system as he chuckled to himself.

Sakusa had left his phone behind, and Atsumu knew _exactly_ what he was going to do with it.

* * *

Late in the middle of the night, Atsumu slowly crept out of his room, into the hallway, and then—in the gentlest manner possible—pushed open Sakusa’s door. Light snoring was like music to Atsumu’s ears as he tiptoed closer and closer to the bedside. The room was dark, but that was fine as he brought a flashlight with him for this little mission. He positioned it so that there was _just_ enough light illuminating Sakusa’s features without waking him up. 

_This’ll so be worth wakin’ up at the ass crack of dawn,_ Atsumu tried his best not to laugh as he gave the canister in his hands a good shake. _Payback, Omi-Omi!_

* * *

As bad of a habit as it was, when you woke up in the morning the first thing you would always do was check all your social media apps. At this point it was pretty much solidified into your daily routine. Scrolling a bit aimlessly, you almost missed the Sakusa’s first post.

_Almost._

You had to scroll back up and, in stupefaction, you choked on your spit. It was a picture of Sakusa, eyes closed and mouth slightly opened—he must have been sleeping. The real kicker was the fact that there was shaving cream smudged all over his face; whoever did this was quite thorough as they even made a little mustache and filled in his eyebrows. He looked like Father Christmas. His features were relaxed, so he probably had no clue the picture was taken. Looking at the timestamp, you realized the picture was posted at around four in the morning. The caption read “Aren’t I just the cutest?” and the comments were coming in at a mile a minute.

> **@sakusakiyootie:**
> 
> NO WAY THIS CAN’T BE REAL OMG
> 
> **@bl4ckj4ckl:**
> 
> IS….. THAT…. SAKUSA……???
> 
> **@miyasfavoritericeball:**
> 
> WHO did this to him i just wanna talk… so i can paypal them my entire life savings thank u very much!

_This couldn’t have been him,_ you shook your head in denial. There was no way he would post this. The worst thing was that now everyone in the world saw Sakusa’s first post. _Who was it…?_

It didn’t take long for you to figure out who the culprit was. You shoved your face into your pillow and groaned in misery. There was really only one person who would do such a stunt.

* * *

> **short 3: jersey giveaway**

_Busy, busy, busy,_ you tapped on your tablet with one hand to do another run through of the schedule for the day. Fan meeting events were always stressful, especially since there were plenty of restless fans already waiting in the venue. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity for them and it was important things went right. _We’re definitely on schedule for the day. Oh wait, isn’t there someone who can—_

A tap on your shoulder brought you back to reality. When you turned around, you were met with another staff member, a nervous sweat present on her features.

“Um…” She avoided eye contact, staring in all directions while twiddling with her thumbs.

_Please, please, please, big man upstairs, I am begging you. Please don’t tell me something’s wrong._

“What is it?” you asked, words a bit strained.

This time she took a deep breath. It did nothing to ease up your anxiousness.

“Miya is… missing.”

Pause. The tablet you were holding nearly slipped out of your fingers.

“What do you mean he’s _missing?”_ you nearly shouted out in your hazed fury. The event was set to start in a little over forty minutes and a missing member was the last thing you needed on your plate. “It hasn’t even been five minutes since I last checked in on them!”

“I know! I’m sorry!” She pressed both of her palms together in front of her face in some type of prayer position. Both of her eyes were glued shut as she started to ramble. “I just went in their waiting room to give a quick run-down of the schedule for today and I saw Miya was gone… I already told a few other staff members to look for him, but we’ve had no luck so far!”

Realizing you shouldn’t push your anger out on the poor girl, you let out a heavy sigh and waved her off.

“I’ll go look too… Don’t worry about it too much and if I find him I’ll notify you through the walkie.”

“G-Got it!”

And with that she was off, practically sprinting to the other side of the hallway as it was her mission to find Atsumu. It really was a wonder how this kind of stuff always happened to revolve around him. A headache was already starting to form.

Deciding to not waste any more time, you started in the opposite direction of where the other staffer went. It was busy—people were hustling here and there, lugging around chairs and other equipment. You asked around and, thankfully, some of the other staff members did see him and relayed to you where he last was. This was the last stretch before the event started; you really didn’t need the added stress of a missing member.

By some stroke of luck, you found him after a couple of minutes of roaming. He was by himself in an empty corridor. With a tight grip on the tablet you were holding (as an effort to restrain yourself from whacking him in the back of the head with it), you approached him—eyes hard, posture perfect, lips in a thin, straight line. This wasn’t the time to be pulled into any of his antics.

As you got closer, you realized he was flapping a shirt into the air like a madman.

“What. Are. You. _Doing?”_ You really did try to hold back, but it was impossible to contain the edge in your voice.

Startled by your sudden appearance, Atsumu quickly turned around to face you, his grip on his jersey tight.

“[Name]! Don’t go scarin’ me like that!” He put a hand over his chest to calm himself down.

You tilted your head slightly and narrowed your eyes at him.

“Well?”

“I’m makin’ sure my jersey smells like me!” Atsumu finally answered, going back to waving his shirt in the air once more. He was acting like it was the most obvious thing in the world. With the force he was putting into it, the wind started to blow in front of your face, strands of hair flying in all directions as you squinted your eyes to stop them from drying.

“What?”

“Here,” he pushed the jersey in your direction, the corner of his lips pulled upwards. “Smell it.”

“Ew, no. Did you even wash this after yesterday’s match?” You pushed his hand away from you, rejecting his offer. Instead of giving in, he simply rolled his eyes and then shoved it back your way. “Miya, quit it!’

“Just smell it! C’mon, it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity!”

“To take a whiff of your dirty jersey? I think I’m fine…”

“It’s not dirty!” He was practically pushing it into your hands now. “I’m tellin’ ya, just one sniff!”

With a small huff, you gave in and then held the jersey closer to your nose. He really wasn’t going to let up about it until you did what he wanted. Unexpectedly, it didn’t have the salty aroma of dried sweat. Instead, there was a warm scent to it, reminiscent of the richness of vanilla and cocoa—it was luxurious. The initial smell lingered in your thoughts and then a slight spice woke your senses up. Smelling it was akin to being around a lit fireplace in the dead of winter.

“Judgin’ by yer face, I take it ya like it…?” His words were smooth, eyes half lidded as he chuckled. 

“It’s alright,” you responded, not wanting to give him something to hold over your head.

If you told him it did smell good then he wouldn’t shut up about it for the next century, so you handed him back his jersey and kept the blankest face as humanly possible.

“Don’t lie! I can just tell that ya liked it!” He was being cheeky now as he kept yapping on. “Outta practice, this is what I smell like. Tell ya what, I’ll give ya one of my jerseys next time and I’ll make sure to—!”

“C’mon, let’s hurry it up and go!” He was going off on a tangent and the fan meeting event was going to start soon. “We have less than forty minutes until you and the rest of the team go out on the court to start the fan meeting! Seriously, you can’t just spend the entire time spraying cologne on your shirt!”

You were practically pushing him down the hallway at this point, back to the waiting room the other guys were designated in. Some of the other staff members stared as you two were arguing. He was dragging his heels to the ground and you were snapping at him to get a move on.

“H-Hey! I can walk by myself!”

“Let’s go, Miya! You can’t just keep wandering off on your own and—!”

When you two finally entered the waiting room, you were a bit flabbergasted to see the other guys doing the exact same thing Atsumu was in the corridor: flapping their shirts into the air. Bokuto and Hinata were really going all out and putting their backs into it.

“Oh, [Name]! Did you need something from us?” Bokuto asked aloud as he continued to whip his jersey in the air.

The other members let out a greeting as well, your presence doing nothing to deter their flapping. 

“Can someone just please let me know why you guys are doing this…?”

It was definitely a sight to behold. 

“No one’s told you?” Inunaki was the first to stop as he approached you with his own jersey in hand. “Well, nobody wants their shirt to smell bad, so…”

“We sprayed our cologne on it.” Meian said outright, not caring at this point. “C’mon wouldn’t it be embarrassing if someone online said ‘Wow, this kind of smells bad?’”

“I guess…? But isn’t washing it enough?”

“No! It’s not!” All the guys immediately dismissed your words, shaking their heads at your simplicity.

“[Name], here! Smell mine! I got my friend to pick it out for me!” Bokuto grabbed onto your wrist and gave his jersey for you to sniff. He looked really expectant, so you took a quick whiff to appease him.

It was rather pleasant; a more fresh scent that reminded you of a summertime vacation on the beach.

“It’s nice, Bokuto,” you acknowledged and then gave his jersey back to him. In victory, he pumped his fist into the air and let out a “whoop, whoop!” to the other guys. “Okay, we should really—"

“Oh, oh! Me too, [Name]! Me too!” Hinata added, bouncing up and down in excitement.

Now everyone was lining up with their jerseys in hand.

“Wait, let us know who smells the best!” Bokuto jumped up next to Hinata, his fist pumped into the air at the idea of a contest.

“Guys we have—”

No one in the room was listening to what you had to say as they chatted about the prospect of competition.

“Oh, I kind of want to know too!”

“Ya should also tell us who smells the worst!”

“Isn’t that a little too mean…?”

Another deep breath. They were probably just riled up because of the event and this was just a way to calm their nerves. Even so, it would be best to stay on track.

“But we have an event to—”

“It’ll only take five minutes max, [Name]! And we still have plenty of time until the fan meeting starts!” Hinata objected to what you were about to say, his jersey still in hand. Taking one look at the time, you decided to give in to their request.

“…Fine. But after this you guys hand in your jerseys and no funny business!” You directed your gaze over towards Atsumu. “And no running off by yourselves! Seriously, it’s as if we have to put _some_ of you guys on a leash or something…”

“Hey!” Atsumu yelled out, waving his arms at you. “I had a reason! There was barely any room in here with everyone else doin’ the same thing!’

His logic made perfect sense, but it did nothing to alleviate your annoyance towards him. It was at that moment you realized there was another person missing.

“Where’s Sakusa?”

“Omi-Omi went out when we started spraying our shirts!” Bokuto answered, his voice loud. He didn’t sense the anger building up within you. “Said he needed some space!”

The headache was slowly transforming into a migraine.

“…Did he tell anyone where he went?”

“Nope!”

Frustration kicked in once again. The twitch of your eye, the tight grip on the tablet, and the tensing of your muscles didn’t go unnoticed.

“Don’t worry too much about him, [Name],” Meian was the first to speak up with Inunaki by his side. “He’s more than responsible enough to make it back on time.”

“Yeah, you know how he gets…” Inunaki added, rubbing the back of his neck as he remembered Sakusa’s tendencies.

You took a deep breath. That’s right, Sakusa was nothing like Atsumu. Sakusa was _responsible_.

“Yeah. Okay, you guys are right. There’s still,” you glanced at your wrist watch. “Thirty minutes left until the event starts.”

With things settled, Hinata pushed his jersey your way. His eyes had a sparkle to them and his grin was wide, still wanting you to judge the scent he put on his shirt. With a quick motion, you took a sniff.

The smell was reminiscent of being in an orange orchard during the summer; a lingering sweetness from fresh fruit—youthful, fun, and invigorating.

“What did you use, Hinata? I really like this smell.” You took another whiff. In victory, Hinata jumped up into the air and laughed.

“Really? Here! Lemme show you!” He dug through his sports bag and picked out a small glass bottle. “I packed it with me today because Atsumu said to do so!”

Squinting your eyes, you looked at the label.

“I think I’ve seen this one in the store before.”

“Here, it smells _way_ better when you spray it on yourself than on your clothes!” Hinata gently took a hold of your wrist and then spritzed a small bit of it onto your skin.

“Wait, you gotta try mine too!” Atsumu said aloud as he dug through his own bag to grab at his cologne.

“Miya, it’s going to smell weird with everything mixed together!” you objected, holding your other wrist next to your head in order to deter Atsumu from spraying his cologne onto you.

“C’mon, it’s way better than Shouyou’s!” He wasn’t giving up and took a step closer, holding up the small bottle in his hand.

“Quit acting like a baby!”

“Oh, me too! Mine smells way better when you spray it on yourself than your clothes!” Bokuto joined in, rustling through his duffle bag.

It was rather comical how you were moving your arms in all directions to avoid Atsumu from taking hold. The other guys just watched as chaos ensued; Meian yelled at Bokuto and Atsumu while Thomas was now getting a smell of Hinata’s jersey. Inunaki stood to the side, unsure what to even do in the moment. In a desperate attempt, Atsumu just sprayed out into the air a couple of times, hoping to get a direct hit at least once.

Unfortunately, right as he pressed down and spritzed his cologne out, Sakusa came into the waiting room and was assaulted directly in the face with cologne. He started coughing and gagging, the bitter alcohol taste burning his mouth, tears forming in the corner of his eyes. In a panicked state, you quickly knelt down beside Sakusa to check on his condition.

“Miya! I told you to stop it!” You started to tell him off while pulling out a tissue from your pocket to give to Sakusa. “Are you alright?”

He only nodded his head, trying his best not to retch out right then and there. The room was dead silent as everyone watched you help Sakusa into a seat—including Atsumu who kept his lips shut tight.

“Let me go get a water bottle for you, I’ll be right back…” you said, noticing he was looking a bit pale. Once again, he nodded in affirmation and you turned to the rest of the guys. “We really can’t waste anymore time now. Give me your jerseys and I’ll go drop them off for the lucky draw. It won’t take long for me to come back, so please just stay here and don’t cause any trouble…”

Everyone did as told without a word of objection, even Atsumu didn’t let another peep out of his mouth. The time was now twenty minutes before the event started. In a rush, you started to speed walk out of the waiting room and to the hallway, all the jerseys bundled in your arms and the scents slowly mixing together.

* * *

With your presence now gone, Sakusa got up and sent a glare towards Atsumu. A chill ran down his spine and he backed himself as far away as he could. Even in his red-eyed, runny nose state, Sakusa was terrifying when mad.

“O-Omi, yanno it was an accident? Right?” Atsumu stuttered out, his hands placed in front of him in a defensive position.

Meian took it upon himself to be the buffer between Atsumu and Sakusa, walking up to the latter to calm him down.

“Hey, let’s not do anything too rash before our fan meeting, I mean—”

“Miya,” Sakusa interrupted Meian, his narrowed eyes stuck on Atsumu, jaw clenched in anger. “You really need to learn how to control yourself.”

“Alright, but ya don’t have to be so rude when sayin’ it!” Atsumu yelled back, no longer caring about backing up. Sakusa cocked his head up slightly, challenging him to continue talking. “It was an accident, ‘kay?”

“So you ‘accidentally’ keep acting like a buffoon?”

The room got colder. Bokuto gripped onto Atsumu’s shoulder and tried to alleviate the situation. He noticed his muscles were tense.

“Hey, hey, maybe we should—!”

All hell broke loose in that little waiting room.

* * *

_Oh, I forgot to get Sakusa’s jersey…_

It had slipped your mind since he was sprayed by Atsumu and you were more focused on his condition than the shirt. 

With a water bottle in tow, you rushed back to the waiting room the boys were in. From outside of the door, shouting could be heard. Before walking in, you did a small prayer, hoping everything was alright. Slightly pushing the door open, you were met with absolute pandemonium.

Atsumu was being held back by Bokuto and Inunaki while Sakusa had his arms crossed, glaring from across the room. Meian stood in the middle, switching off from pointing at Sakusa and Atsumu as he lectured both of them with a cross look on his face. In the corner of the room, Hinata stood next to Thomas, translating the entire ordeal to him.

Not wanting to get stuck in the middle of the madness, you shut the door and decided to take a five minute breather.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I'm dedicated to the craft, I decided to pair an actual cologne with each character.
> 
> **Atsumu:** Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille. Warm, comforting, and luxurious type of scent. There’s a slight spice to this cologne upon initial spritz. Settles into the opulence of vanilla and cocoa throughout the day. Very sexy scent that draws you in wanting more.
> 
> **Hinata:** Jo Malone Nectarine Blossom and Honey. A light and citrus scent which instantly brings you to an orange orchard. Light, inviting, and playful. A whiff of this stuff is so addicting that you can’t help but want to indulge in the sweetness.
> 
> **Bokuto:** Dolce&Gabbana Light Blue Sun Pour Homme Eau de Toilette. The essence of summertime fun. A little bit fruity, but the key notes of this cologne include rosemary and vanilla to introduce this sensational warmth when it lingers on the skin. Reminds me of spending the entire day at the beach and watching the sunset as you continue to splash in the shallow portion of the waters with your lover.
> 
> **Sakusa:** Fresh laundry scent. Feel like Sakusa would be pretty sensitive to certain smells and wouldn’t worry about finding a “signature cologne.” Though, he probably has a favorite fabric softener he uses and refuses to use any other brand...
> 
> **Inunaki:** Dolce&Gabbana Light Blue Pour Homme Eau de Toilette. Reminiscent of freshly squeezed lemonade on a hot summer day. Refreshing, it’s almost like taking a headfirst splash into the ocean. Or maybe enjoying the salty air on the Sicilian shore during a honeymoon.
> 
> **Meian:** Hermès Terre d’Hermès Eau de Toilette. Grounding, earthy, and just flat out smells rich. I don’t know how they did it, but this cologne is the perfect balance of musky and fresh. Like taking a stroll in the forest the day after it rained, dew drops still present on the leaves of oak trees.
> 
> **Thomas:** YSL Y Eau de Toilette. Another simple and clean scent. The longer you smell it, the more intoxicating it gets. Will linger on your shirts. It’s like a breath of fresh air on a sunny day after being holed up at home for so long.
> 
> Thanks for reading and take care of yourselves!
> 
> Peace.


	8. potari sweat at the beach

If there was one thing you were certain about life, it’s that it was unfair.

Looking through your social feed, you couldn’t help but feel bitter. All your friends were enjoying the summer sun together at a beach in Okinawa. Their posts ranged from taking sunset photos, montages of all the fresh seafood eaten, and videos of the nightlife. It looked like paradise. You were supposed to be with them, on a beach in Okinawa, lazing away on white sands with a slice of watermelon in hand.

But you weren’t.

Instead, you had work.

And today wasn’t just any work day. Oh no, it was a big fat taunt. Today, the schedule was fully booked for the Potari Sweat commercial shoot.

The Potari Sweat _beach_ commercial shoot.

(It was as if the universe was shoving its middle finger right in your face. While kicking your sides. And laughing at your pathetic figure.)

This commercial shoot was the reason why your vacation request was denied. With such a big sponsorship, it was important for you to go and create new content. Your boss even tried to reconcile the whole ordeal, saying that you would still be on a beach enjoying the day. The back of your phone was starting to get hot and you resisted the urge to tighten your grip on the device. 

_Enjoying the day?_ There was a humongous difference in enjoyment when wearing a pair of pantsuits compared to wearing a swimsuit on a hot summer day with the ocean view.

Underneath the shaded tent area, you started to fan yourself with your hand and let out a sigh of discontent. Other staff members busied themselves and grabbed bottles of water to share as they chatted away, excited about the production. You wished you could soak in their positivity, but your button up shirt was starting to feel more and more suffocating as the seconds passed; you kept your mouth shut and eyed the director of the shoot. He looked like he knew what he was doing as he flipped through a bundle of scripts and checked in with his assistants. If another mishap occurred like the last time then you might actually put in your two weeks.

Typically, shoot days were long, strenuous, and taxing. By the time you got home you would knock out. And this was just from content collecting. _Dreadful,_ you yawned into your hand, _I can’t believe how tired I am._ The morning already passed and you were feeling rather restless. Arms stretched upwards, your shoulders popped and a wave of relief overcame you when you noticed the trailer doors swung open and the members of the MSBY Black Jackals hopped out in their swim attire.

Along with a couple other V. League players.

You skimmed over some of the details earlier in the week, but Potari Sweat was doing a large scale sponsorship with the V. League. This was just one of the promotional runs planned for the summer. The gist of the shoot was for the players to participate in beach activities: beach volleyball, a swim in the ocean, basking in the sun.

(Oh, this was just torture.)

For today, the commercial would have members from the MSBY Black Jackals, Schweiden Adlers, and EJP Raijin. Other teams would participate in a different shoot at another location. Maybe you would have been more upbeat about the schedule if your friends weren’t living it up without you. With the director instructing the players, you focused on the task at hand. Doing a bad job today would probably result in a denial of vacation requests for the rest of the year.

_Suck it up,_ you shook your head and dug through your bag of equipment in search of the camcorder. _Finish racking up content today, edit, queue up the videos and pictures, and then you’ll get a break. Moping about it all day won’t do you any good._

An announcement was made by the director and a few of the guys were hauled to the net to start the first couple of takes. Meian and Hinata were one of the first up to play along with Ushijima and Kageyama of the Schweiden Adlers. A few others were called in to do individual photoshoots. The players with a later call time were directed to wait underneath the shaded area and to be tended by the staff. Already, you could see there was a chaotic energy amongst the approaching group.

Taking a deep breath to prepare yourself, you held the camcorder up to start the behind the scenes process. Bokuto, Atsumu and Inunaki made their way to you, ready for business as usual.

“Alright, you guys know the drill,” you started off, flipping open the screen of the camera. “As soon as I start recording, be mindful of your words and actions.”

“You don’t have to worry about us, [Name]!” Bokuto assured you as he let out a laugh. “We got everything under control!”

Bokuto was always the one who knew how to soothe your paranoia. Right behind Meian and Inunaki, Bokuto was quite reliable. 

_He’s right,_ you started to record him and followed as he explained what he was doing to the camera. He was his usual boisterous self. The other guys went to the sidelines and started to converse with their old friends and colleagues. _There’s nothing to worry about, these guys are professionals._

* * *

There was plenty to worry about.

At the start of the behind the scenes filming, Bokuto led the camera around to do a mini tour of the rest area. He spoke animatedly and pointed at everything and anything. A couple of the players were resting their eyes in the provided seating, but the ones who were free to talk ended up subjected to Bokuto’s impromptu interviews. There were many players who were actually old friends and acquaintances from high school, so he kept his attitude lax and maintained easy conversation.

The trouble started at the concessions table.

“…And don’t worry guys,” Bokuto said to the camera. His arm was outstretched to show off all the different snacks provided. “We’re eatin’ pretty good here! I love commercial shoot day ‘cause of all the food!”

At the other end of the table stood Hoshiumi. He was scanning all the options, hungry for a quick treat. Bokuto, seeing a perfect opportunity to engage in more chatter, got closer to Hoshiumi.

“Heya, Kou-kun, what’re you thinking of getting?” Boktuo did a nudge and then pointed at you.

Hoshiumi got the message pretty quick and straightened up.

“Ah! Well,” he cleared his throat and made sure to speak up. A few players and staff took a glance in your direction. “I was eyeing the ebi nigiri!” He pointed to a plate and then beckoned you to do a quick close up of his choice. 

“Ebi nigiri! And why this instead of say,” Bokuto grabbed a bag of chips from the table and held it into the camera. “These! I think I would have chosen this instead, Kou-kun!”

Both were becoming more enthusiastic, their words sounding theatrical. They were really playing it up for the camera. 

Hoshiumi’s lips quirked upwards and he closed his eyes as he explained, “Not only is shrimp a great source of protein, but it also has omega-3 fatty acids to keep us healthy. As an athlete, we have to keep all parts of our body in perfect condition, including our brains!”

Bokuto clapped his hands at such an in-depth answer. There were sparkles surrounding Hoshiumi as he accepted the praise and continued on.

“Don’t you think the shrimp looks good?”

“You’re right! They’re cute, orange, and fun sized. Like Hinata!” Bokuto chuckled and then picked a piece of ebi nigiri to shove in his mouth. Once he swallowed, he gave a thumbs up your way. “They’re pretty good too!”

“Oh, I agree, they’re small and cute like Hinata,” Hoshiumi added.

As if on cue, Atsumu butted himself in on the conversation.

“Kourai, yanno yer not that much taller than Shouyou, right?”

You pressed your lips together and blinked to him in Morse Code to stop. He didn’t get the hint (or maybe he ignored it) and wrapped an arm around Hoshiumi’s shoulders, friendly as ever.

“Yer just as cute as the lil shrimps on— _Ack!”_

Having enough of the low jibes, Hoshiumi elbowed Atsumu right in the gut. As Atsumu doubled down and gripped his side, Hoshiumi gave a merciless glare. At that moment, you turned the camera off and shoved it into Bokuto’s hands. It looked like it was taking every ounce of strength in Hoshiumi to _not_ jump Atsumu that very moment.

“You wanna say that again, Miya?” Hoshiumi said, sounding indignant.

It was astonishing how fast things went south.

“Ya pip—!”

“I’m so sorry, Hoshiumi!” you yelled out and slapped a hand over Atsumu’s mouth before he had the chance to finish his insult. “I’ll take him somewhere else, a place where he won’t be able to bother you!”

_“Mmph!”_ he tried to object, but you didn’t want to hear it.

You grabbed onto his arm and dragged him to a more secluded area. Now in the sunlight, away from the watchful eyes, you let go of him and got ready to reprimand.

“Are you serious right now?” You had half the mind to just smack him in the face. “Why’d you say something like that to him?”

“It’s not like I was bein’ mean! I was sayin’ the truth! He’s just takin’ it outta context…!”

Maybe he didn’t mean to offend him, but in the end he did. It was strange how considerate he was of the other players on the court, but as soon as he stepped foot in any other environment all of that courtesy was thrown out the window.

“I dunno why yer always takin’ everyone’s side but mine,” he let out a huff and crossed his arms as he continued to complain, “I mean, every single time there’s trouble it’s the same deal…”

He droned on with his vent session. Pouring his heart out about the unfair treatment you gave him compared to the other members, it seemed like this was really affecting him. He held up his fingers and listed all the times he thought he was being wronged. You would be lying if you said it didn’t piss you off. Here you were, working at the beach, with Miya Atsumu practically saying all your actions were unwarranted. Maybe a couple of them were, but if he had a handful of moments in which he felt mistreated then you had enough to flood the city landfill.

But, instead of arguing back, you stood still and slowly started to shift your sight to the filming zone. It was an attempt to clear your mind: his words were coming in through one ear and out the other, never to be seen again. Why was there always some type of issue? Why did your boss have to reject your vacation request? Why, why, _why—_

In the midst of disassociating, your gaze fell on volleyball’s most handsome bachelor (crowned by Men’s Health Magazine). When you saw _him_ run across the sand, stoic face and all, every single complaint you had suddenly vanished. He was strikingly attractive. An Adonis. Tall, muscular, and exuding an air of importance, the man proclaimed as the nation’s cannon graced your eyes, completing his portion of the shoot. It was like watching an episode of Baywatch. 

Except he was the real deal.

Perfect to use against Atsumu as payback.

“Oh my gosh, isn’t he dreamy?” You exaggerated a sigh and stared from afar. Cheek cupped in hand, you tried your very best to swoon. There were hearts in your eyes and your lips pouted out, longing for what you could not have.

Atsumu choked on his spit and did a double take.

_“What?”_ There was no hiding the twinge of disgust in his voice. That got him to stop his yapping. “Who?”

You pointed to where Ushijima was. “Him! He’s just _so_ cool, isn’t he?”

Tan skin glistening underneath the sun, the thin film of sweat seemed to add another layer of dimension to him. He shook the excess water out of his hair and stared at the camera with a cool expression. There was really no one else on the film site who could compete with him.

“T-The hell?” he sputtered out, unsure if you were serious. “What’s so great about him?”

“He just seems like the strong, silent type. I’m really into guys who—”

“Miya, Bokuto, Inunaki, you guys are up!” An intern called out, beckoning them to the camera.

Talk about perfect timing. Knowing you won this battle, you smiled at him and pointed to the cameras. 

“Looks like it’s your turn for filming!” You gave him a pat on the back and started to make your way back to the shaded area. “Good luck!”

“Hey, wait, we’re not—!”

Popping out from the tented area, Inunaki grabbed onto Atsumu’s wrist and dragged him out. Even though he was smiling, there was a twinge of annoyance present in the strain of his smile and the way his grip was _just_ a bit tighter than usual.

“C’mon, let’s go. The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can go home and rest!”

“But Wan-san!”

“No buts!”

And with a short exchange of protests, he was out of your hair. Maybe you were being a bit mean to Atsumu, but today you were at your limit. The salty ocean air and golden sands were already taunting you, and just having Atsumu buzz around like a horsefly was getting on your last nerve. The plastic seat in the corner of the rest area was akin to a throne in heaven after standing under the beating rays of the sun. Finally, after what seemed like forever, you got a moment of solidarity.

Or so you thought.

“He hasn’t changed at all,” a voice from behind noted. You didn’t notice the presence, so you jumped in your seat at the sudden sound. When you turned, you were met with emerald eyes, a bored expression, and a shake of the head. “He’s still the same nutball as when he was in high school.”

“Suna?” you guessed and he nodded. “You went to school with him?”

“Unfortunately,” he replied and then situated himself in the seat next to yours. “I thought he’d tone it down by now, but obviously that isn’t the case.”

He fished his phone out of his hoodie pocket and started to tap on it. You raised an eyebrow at him and then looked at the other staff members in the vicinity. No one paid any mind.

“I thought you guys had to leave your phones in the trailer?” It was a valid question. Typically, for photoshoots and commercials—schedules that require a nondisclosure agreement—the players had to leave their phones behind in order to reduce accidental leaks and spoilers.

He briefly looked up from the screen and made eye contact with you, “You can trust me. I’m not the kind of person who posts impulsively. Keep it between you and me.”

It wasn’t like you could force him to put it away, so you just kept quiet and relaxed back into your seat. His presence wasn’t overbearing like a couple of the other members, so you didn’t mind. From afar, you could see Hinata perched up on Bokuto’s shoulders to make some giant unit; they chased after Hoshiumi who was going into the shallow portions of the water.

“Here,” Suna leaned in and positioned his phone in the space between you two. “This is what he was like in high school.”

With a quick tap, the video started to play. The main focus was Atsumu and it looked like he was eating kaiten-sushi. Beside him was his twin, chowing down and reaching over for more plates on the conveyor belt. In Atsumu’s hand was a pair of chopsticks. There was a large clump of wasabi at the ends of the sticks.

_“Don’t do it,”_ the voice behind the phone said rather lifelessly.

_“I’ll do it!”_ Younger Atsumu yelled out, hovering the heaping lump of wasabi dangerously close to his mouth. _“I’ll do it right here, right now! Ya can’t tell me what I can and can’t do!”_

_“Oh no, don’t,”_ the voice, you deduced it to be Suna’s, was completely monotone.

And in the next instance, instead of listening to the voice of reason (even if it was a little flat), Atsumu shoved the large dollop into his mouth.

He chewed it.

He realized his mistake.

He choked.

He turned red.

He started crying.

He got yelled at.

And lastly, he got slapped in the back of the head.

All caught on video.

Your jaw slackened and your hand was splayed over your mouth. Never in your life had you seen Atsumu look so… uncool. He’s had a couple blunders here and there, but actual video evidence of his foolishness? His rashness? This was like finding the city of gold.

“Oh. My. God.” You wiped a tear from the corner of your eye. “He’s been like this the whole time? Replay that!”

Suna nodded and did as told. “You wouldn’t believe half of the stuff if I just told you. Which is why I have videos. And a couple pictures.”

Without hesitation, you grabbed onto his arm. Maybe it was a bit too sudden as his eyes widened and his body stiffened, but in the heat of the moment you didn’t care.

This was serious business.

“You need to send me those videos. Please.”

Another nod, an exchange of numbers, and a deluge of blackmail was sent your way.

* * *

By the time Atsumu finally finished his individual portion of the shoot, he was in dismay at seeing you laughing yourself to tears at whatever Suna was showing you on his phone. He left Inunaki and Bokuto in the dust as he rushed over to hijack the conversation. Once you noticed him, he was already shoving his head between you and Suna.

“Oi, whatcha lookin’—!”

When he saw that you were laughing at him—high school Atsumu—and his past mistakes on Suna’s phone, he deflated. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. All his thoughts tangled together; he was traumatized. Just what else did Suna show you?

“Yer such a—!”

“Suna! You’re up for your individual shoot!” The same intern from before called out, interrupting Atsumu.

Nonchalantly, Suna stood up and left the resting area. He gave a short wave and unzipped his jacket. 

“C’ya.”

Stuck alone with Atsumu, you decided to tease him. After all, you’d been given a plethora of material. It was only fair to put it to good use.

“You must’ve been super popular in high school,” you chuckled into your hand. It was impossible to keep your voice even. All the annoyances of the day were slowly dissipating. “A _super_ cool, and _super_ suave kind of guy. _Totally_ my type.”

“Whatever,” was all he could say back as he slumped into the seat Suna once occupied.

He was trying his best to hide his embarrassment, but the red tips of his ears gave it away.

“Who’s super cool and super suave?” Inunaki asked, making his way to you two.

You smiled at him and pointed your finger at Atsumu.

“Miya!” you chimed. It was getting difficult to hold back your laughter. “Back in high school he would—”

“Alright, I’m goin’ to the bathroom!” Atsumu yelled out and stood up from his seat. He couldn’t take it any longer and made his way to one of the trailers. “Don’t follow me!”

“Oh wait, Tsum-Tsum!” It was Bokuto. He practically galloped to join Atsumu’s side and locked arms with him. “Lemme go with you!”

They started arguing with each other, Atsumu wanting to wallow in solitude while Bokuto suggested multiple activities to cheer him up. They were loud enough to warrant a few stares from the other players and staff. It actually got to the point where it attracted a couple more of the outgoing players and they jumped in to join Atsumu’s side much to his reluctance.

“You sure it’s him?” Inunaki had his doubts. He placed his hands on his hips and watched as Atsumu tried to get Bokuto to stop lifting him up into the air.

The wasabi video popped into your mind and you nearly snorted.

“Positive.”

With this small victory, you concluded that today wasn’t all too bad.

* * *

**EXTRA 1: WAN-SAN’S BEHIND THE SCENES SEGMENT**

_“Is this thing on?”_ From behind the camera, Inunaki’s voice could be heard. _“Oh, it is! Great. Welcome to our beloved Wan-san’s behind the scenes segment! Today, we’re at the beach! The sun is really bright and the guys are playing volleyball over there,”_ he pointed to the net. Meian jumped up and completed a successful block. _“And check out our captain! He’s really good. There are some other players here, so let’s go greet them.”_

Harsh movements were made, indicating Inunaki was running across the sand. Now, instead of being under the sun, the setting was in the tarped waiting area. It was shady and a couple of staff were present. Inunaki approached the corner where Sakusa was sitting. Beside him was Komori; they appeared to be engaging in (a rather one-sided) conversation.

_“And here’s the collegiate star! Tell me, how do you feel about today’s shoot?”_

_“It’s hot.”_

_“Besides the weather.”_

_“…It’s long.”_

_“Besides the time.”_

_“I don’t have anything else to say.”_

Inunaki let out a sigh and then shifted the camera to Komori’s direction.

_“And what about you? How do you feel about today’s shoot?”_

Komori took a second to think of a response. _“Well, I think the weather is perfect for Potari Sweat, don’t you think? Usually you drink it on a hot summer day. And since we’re on the beach it makes the whole shoot more fun. Beach volleyball is really different compared to indoor volleyball, so I hope my shots came out okay.”_

Sending a thumbs up Komori’s way, Inunaki praised him, _“Perfect answer! I’ll be on my way then.”_

Again, the camera shifted, but this time Inunaki flipped it so that he was recording himself.

_“On days like this, the guys usually get extra time to relax. It’s pretty nice. Oh, look at our captain play! How cool,”_ he quickly flipped the camera to show Meian serving the ball. On the other side of the net was Hoshiumi and Ushijima. _“Hm, I think if I was on Meian’s side instead of Atsumu then he’d win by a landslide,”_ he flipped the camera back onto himself and did a peace sign. _“Kidding! He’s pretty good at volleyball. You know, just today, um, someone called him cool and suave? Leave a comment if you think he’s cool and suave.”_

Continuing down the beach, Inunaki spotted the other members of the MSBY Black Jackals. They were huddled together, playing with the sand.

_“Wan-san spots a fun trio! Say hi to the camera, guys!”_

Bokuto, Hinata, and Thomas looked up and flashed toothy grins. The sand in front of them was piled up into a rather pitiful looking sand castle.

_“What are you three doing?”_

Bokuto jumped to his feet and started to explain, _“We’re making a sand castle! Wan-san, you can’t go to the beach and_ not _make a sand castle!”_

Inunaki moved the camera to Hinata’s direction. He was still crouched down and molding a pile into a tower.

_“And how do you feel about sand castles, Hinata?”_

_“We’re trying to make one as good as Ushijima's, but for some reason it’s not coming out the same!”_

_“Ushijima’s?”_ Inunaki repeated. Hinata nodded his head, twisted his body, and pointed further down the beach. There was an exact replica of Osaka Castle created from sand. _“That’s Ushijima’s? Shouldn’t he be an artist? What’s he doing playing volleyball?”_

_“Right? It must be that left hand of his!”_ Bokuto declared and then started to dig deeper into the sand. _“But we’re trying! Give us thirty minutes and soon this’ll be the Odawara Castle!”_

_“Ah, right. Good luck!”_ Inunaki gave another thumbs up.

Thomas returned it back and smiled as he pat the lump that was supposed to be Odawara Castle.

From the distance, Inunaki’s name was being called out.

_“Looks like that’s my cue to leave. Don’t worry, our media manager will take good care of you guys!”_

Another call, this time in a more urgent and rushed tone.

_“Okay! Wan-san’s behind the scenes segment,”_ he was running and rustling could be heard. _“Over and out! See you guys next time!”_

* * *

**EXTRA 2:**

Up close, they were more intimidating. Nothing could have prepared you for this moment. Hinata momentarily mentioned the two to you before, saying they were old friends of his from high school years, but seeing them together felt rather bizarre.

“Wow, so you guys have known each other for some time, huh?”

You were amazed as you stared at the trio. It was unexpected since Hinata’s personality seemed so… different from theirs.

“Yeah! We,” Hinata gestured the space between him and Kageyama, “played against Ushijima when we were first years.”

“And we also ran into him on the street,” Kageyama added.

“Oh, I remember that!” Hinata laughed aloud and then slapped his knees. “We’re getting off topic now, but don’t you think it’d be cool for us to take a picture together?”

You nodded your head at him. “Definitely, I’ll take it and upload it on the official account since you’re all V. League players.”

Hinata raised a fist into the air and jumped upwards, letting out a laugh. While Kageyama and Ushijima didn’t share the same enthusiasm as Hinata, they both complied for a photo. Eyes lingering on Ushijima for a second longer than usual, you directed the guys on how to pose. Hinata kept in the middle while Ushijima was on his right and Kageyama on his left. Fingers held up in the air, you did another countdown and then snapped a picture.

Before letting them off the hook, you checked the photo you just took to see if a retake was necessary. While Hinata had a brilliant smile, Kageyama and Ushijima kept stoic. It looked like they didn’t want to be there.

“Ah, Kageyama, Ushijima, do you two mind smiling a bit? The photo looks a little forced.”

They nodded and complied to your request.

As soon as you saw their grinning faces, you wished you had never said anything.

_Oh my God,_ you pressed your lips together as you stared at the two standing behind Hinata, _their smiles are awful!_

“Is this okay,” Kageyama said through his teeth.

It most definitely was _not_ okay, but you didn’t want to insult him.

“Can you guys, uh, maybe,” you took in a deep breath and wondered how to nicely tell them that they had the creepiest smiles known to mankind. “Relax a little? I think your shoulders seem a bit tense?”

They relaxed their bodies, but kept the same overstretched smile. Their gums were showing and it honestly looked like they were straining their neck with how hard they were going at it. All efforts were futile.

“Actually, I think the photo we got the first time is good enough,” you nervously laughed. They stopped smiling and you thanked every deity from above. “I’ll upload it later…”

Watching the whole thing from afar, Atsumu shook his head. Even Inunaki couldn’t believe what he just saw.

“Wow, talk about frightening,” Inunaki shuddered. “If they smiled at me on the street I would just hand them my wallet.”

“It’s like they’re emotionally constipated or somethin’,” Atsumu scoffed.

It just made him all the more mad as he thought about your words from earlier in the day.

Well, at least Atsumu could say he had a better smile than Ushijima.

* * *

**EXTRA 3:**

> **ATSUMU:**
> 
> hey
> 
> you up?
> 
> ???
> 
> **YOU:**
> 
> No
> 
> **ATSUMU:**
> 
> obviously you’re up!
> 
> it’s important!

Your face twisted in anguish. It was already late at night and the ringing of your phone from him was interrupting your beauty sleep.

> **YOU:**
> 
> It’s nearly midnight and I have to wake up early for a meeting
> 
> **ATSUMU:**
> 
> suna, you remember him?
> 
> **YOU:**
> 
> What about him?
> 
> **ATSUMU:**
> 
> what… were you talking about with him today?

_This_ was what he considered important? You let out a huff of hot air and went through your previous conversations to find the wasabi video Suna sent you. It only took a second to download, but in that time Atsumu sent another message. Without reading it, you simply sent the video and set your phone down on your bedside table.

Your phone stayed silent for the rest of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kaiten-sushi is conveyor belt sushi.
> 
> Thanks for reading! I hope y'all are staying happy and healthy.
> 
> Peace.


	9. a day off

Everything seemed right in the world.

The summer weather wasn’t too hot and the overcast of clouds from above blocked the sun’s harsh rays. With such moderate temperature, people flocked to the streets of the city to enjoy an outing. It wasn’t necessarily bustling since you were exploring at an odd hour in the middle of the week, but it definitely wasn’t quiet. Really, with all things taken into account, it was the perfect day to go shopping.

After a few grueling weeks of nonstop work, your vacation request was finally processed and accepted by your boss. It was a short break: just a week. But, you were going to enjoy the hell out of that week and treat each day as if it were your last. Work was demanding, so having an entire row of your calendar emptied out for personal matters (shopping, spa days, sleeping in) was soul cleansing.

Downtown Osaka was home to many specialty boutiques, underground malls, mom-and-pop shops—you name it, the people of Osaka have it. Buildings stacked up on each other and colorful signs coaxed visitors to take a peek at the many wares each store had to offer. Tourists flocked in groups and pointed here and there while the locals took at a leisurely pace, accustomed to the stimuli of the city. Bags in tow, you continued rather aimlessly down the road, taking to twists and turns you normally wouldn’t because now you had all the time in the world (well, at least for a week). With no destination in mind, you obtained a newfound appreciation for the hidden gems of the city.

It was unfortunate that your exploration was cut short.

The clouds from above started to transform, darkening and contorting to take on a more severe form. A rumbling accompanied the sudden change and in the next minute a few drops started to fall down from the sky. At first, the rain was light, only enough to be a small nuisance.

Then, it became torrential.

Water pelted down like bullets, forcing you to find refuge underneath the extended awning of a nearby shop. The weather didn’t look like it was going to be letting up any time soon. Bustling streets were now completely deserted. It was as if the sky was just pouring buckets upon buckets down to Earth. Clothes a bit wet from the rain, you decided it would be best to go inside the shop instead of standing around by the door. A quick peek at the menu plastered on the window showed it to be an onigiri specialty restaurant. Good for a quick meal as it was too late for lunch, but not anywhere near dinnertime.

A light chime rang when you slid the door open. Predictably, the shop was empty due to it being an odd hour. Not only this, but it was probably going to stay that way with the heavy downpour outside. 

The layout of the shop was simple. There was an open kitchen surrounded by a low counter for customers to sit at and watch their onigiri being made. A few tables and cushions lined up along the wall for bigger groups to enjoy their meal together. Above, there were a few decorative light fixtures to give the place a more rustic appeal.

It was warm and comforting, embodying the spirit of Osaka.

Since you were by yourself, you thought it to be best to sit at the counter near the kitchen. A conversation with the owner of the shop would be nice, especially since you were in no rush. Meals always tasted better with the company of others.

“Welcome in,” a voice said, accompanying the figure emerging from behind the cotton door curtains. He was tall, lean, and—

You blinked once.

Twice.

Three times.

Rubbed your eyes with the back of your hand and pinched your forearm because you really couldn’t believe the person standing before you on the opposite side of the counter.

It was Miya Atsumu.

(Or so you thought.)

“Miya?” you blurted out, eyes widening.

He tilted his head in confusion. “I’m sorry, have we met before?”

Again, you blinked owlishly at him. He couldn’t be serious, right? Before you got the chance to open your mouth and tell him off, the sound of another door from the other end of the restaurant distracted you. Eyes flickering to the source of the noise, you felt the need to pinch yourself again.

“Miya?” you said once more, head alternating between the two Miyas.

The one at the other end of the room gaped.

“[Name]!” He opened his arms in front of him and smiled. You and the other Miya kept still. “Whaddaya doin’ here?”

You stared at him as he approached. For a moment, you thought about going outside and walking home under the rainfall. Maybe you could catch a cab on the main street. A loud crack of lightning sounded, practically taunting you to just try and bear the weather. That idea was a bust.

Then it hit you like a truck.

Onigiri. Food business. Osaka.

Right.

Behind the counter was Atsumu’s twin brother.

And it was _just_ your luck that you ran into his restaurant in the middle of a rainstorm. During your break from work. Even luckier that Atsumu was there too.

“It started storming, so I found myself coming here,” you answered truthfully. The dull sound of rain drenching the rooftop echoed, backing up your claim.

“Well, lucky you,” Atsumu’s brother said, pulling out a short menu from behind the counter. Decorating the page were pictures and descriptions of what his shop had to offer. There was a wide assortment of onigiri—both shop and regional specialties. “Onigiri Miya. Have a look over it.”

You took the menu from his hand and scanned through. A quick exchange of names for an introduction ensued once Atsumu sat down beside you at the counter area. In comparison to Atsumu, his brother was much more mild tempered, but then again this was just the first meeting.

Between you and Osamu, talking looked easy. Atsumu stared at the two of you making light conversation in front of him, Osamu’s body leaning forward and pointing to the varieties of onigiri on the menu. He was recommending both crowd pleasers and personal favorites of his.

Atsumu’s mind wandered to a faraway place.

_“_ _Naw, you know I have a twin brother, right?” He glanced at you and noted that you were paying full attention to him. Your body was turned to face him and he did the same. A smile crept up on his face as he talked. “Well, he works in the food industry and he makes pretty darn good onigiri.”_

_“Wow, that’s cool,” you commented. “I’ve always liked guys who knew how to cook.”_

Back to reality, Atsumu pushed himself up out of his seat and tugged on your sleeve.

“Yanno, we should really go explore the city!” he declared. “Osaka style!”

On cue, a loud rumbling of thunder followed. Osamu gave a look of bewilderment, unsure what was going on in his brother’s mind. You kept your butt planted in the seat and swatted his hand away.

“It’s raining,” you deadpanned. “And I already ordered.”

Atsumu turned to his brother and held an open palm. “’Samu, yer umbrella. Lemme borrow it!”

“No,” Osamu said and shook his head. “You’ll forget to bring it back and I’ll have to walk in the rain after work. Just sit down and eat.”

“But—!”

Osamu turned around to the rice cooker and ignored his brother. Grumbling, Atsumu sunk into the seat next to yours. Seems like he acted this way towards everybody and anybody.

“So, why’re you here today?” you asked Atsumu, not wanting to sit in silence.

Revitalizing by the spark of a conversation, Atsumu sat up straight in his seat and turned his body to face yours. “I come by and visit ‘Samu at least once a week, today was just easy ‘cause we only had conditionin' at the gym this mornin’.”

“Every week?”

“Yup.” He grinned. “I help out sometimes too.”

“With cooking?”

“A lil bit,” he lied. Doesn’t hurt to try and make himself look a tad bit better.

Osamu raised an eyebrow at him. Having Atsumu work in the kitchen was like asking for someone to get food poisoning.

“He just comes by to complain,” Osamu said from the other side of the counter. He was sprinkling salt on his hands to start the process of molding the rice.

“No I don’t!” Atsumu denied and shot a mean look at his brother. Osamu didn’t seem to notice.

“Free therapy, huh?” You laughed into your hand.

Osamu nodded and let out a heavy sigh. “For him. The other day he was goin’ on and on about how—”

“’Samu!” Atsumu interrupted, his lips tight and head slightly leaned forward.

Osamu got the hint and just rolled his eyes. He decided to give mercy to his brother and shut up.

Again, there was a moment of silence as Osamu worked behind the counter.

“So I heard your onigiri’s pretty good,” you said, speaking up so there wouldn’t be an awkwardness amongst the three of you.

At this, Osamu straightened his back and tried to not let his ego inflate too much.

“And who said that?”

You jabbed your thumb towards Atsumu. “Miya—”

They both stared at you. Oh, this might be confusing.

“Just Atsumu’s fine.”

“Atsumu,” you started again, a bit wary of using his first name. “He told me about it a while back on the bullet train when we went to Tokyo for a game.”

“Oh? Usually he knocks out as soon as he gets on any movin' vehicle,” Osamu said, working on shaping the onigiri to a triangular shape. “Can’t get a peep outta him ‘til the end of the trip.”

“Really?” In your experience, Atsumu almost never shut up. He always had something to say. “He was talking my ear off the entire time and when he wasn’t doing so, he ended up—”

“[Name]!” Atsumu interrupted you this time.

He was exasperated. There were too many embarrassing stories about him on both sides of the counter. Osamu paused in the middle of pressing the rice and eyed Atsumu. The twin telepathy signals Atsumu was sending screamed _“Drop it! Don’t even ask!”_ which only made Osamu all the more curious.

“No, I wanna know,” Osamu tried to coax the story out of you, disregarding Atsumu’s silent pleading. “Don’t let ‘Tsumu stop ya. Keep goin’.”

Atsumu grabbed onto your shoulder, his eyes practically begging for you to stop. He was a sorry sight.

“I think I’ll save it for a different day,” you said, peeling his hands off.

Out of the kindness of your heart, you decided to spare him. He let out a sigh of relief while Osamu shrugged. He could try to interrogate you later.

The three of you continued to chat, the topic straying away from Atsumu’s blunders and instead going towards Osamu. It started with the shop and how well kept it was. When Osamu spoke about his business, it wasn’t hard to notice the sense of pride he had regarding all the work he put into it. As he conversed, he chopped at scallions, cleaned the cutting boards, and kept himself busy. Everything he did in the kitchen seemed second nature—he really did spend a lot of time perfecting his craft.

While Atsumu had an outburst here and there, got more riled up, and seemed to wear his heart on his sleeve, Osamu was more subdued. He would tease his brother and bring him back down to Earth. They made a pretty good team.

The two also told a couple stories back in their high school days when they played together on the same volleyball team and were quite well known. Instead of joining the professional leagues, Osamu said he felt his happiest working in the food industry. A fond smile was plastered on his face as he put the finishing touches on the onigiri he was making.

“Order up,” Osamu said, presenting two plates—one for you and one for Atsumu. “Two minced tuna and spring onion rice balls.”

The aroma of warm, fresh rice was present and a curl of steam rose into the air. Dark seaweed and the pink pile of tuna contrasted the plain canvas of the grains—the vivid colors only seemed to make the dish look more appetizing.

You and Atsumu were quick to give thanks. One bite, and you were mesmerized. The fattiness of the soft tuna melted in with the rice to create a synergy of flavors. Its savory taste lingered at the tip of your tongue and drew you in wanting more. Crisp seaweed made an audible crunch as you ate another mouthful. Soon enough the rice ball was gone.

“That was great!” you gushed out, plate empty.

Osamu sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, both bashful and pleased at your words of praise. Even Atsumu was content, as if your words to Osamu were also his.

“Really, I’m surprised Atsumu didn’t tell me about your restaurant earlier.”

“He’s brought the other guys on the team here before,” Osamu said. “Funny he didn’t say anything to ya.”

“Oh, he has?” You turned to him, a faux expression of hurt painted on your features as you pouted your lips. “I can’t believe you've been hiding this from me. And here I thought we were getting along.”

“No! Hold on!” He shook his head. There were obvious reasons he couldn’t bring you here. The main one being his brother who knew how to cook. “It was just Bokkun and Omi-Omi!”

“You brought Sakusa here before _me?”_ Now this was shocking. Knowing Sakusa, you thought he would have rather shot his foot than accompany both Atsumu and Bokuto to eat onigiri.

Atumu tripped over his words as he tried to explain himself, saying something along the lines of _“Bokuto forced Sakusa to come with him because he said three heads are better than two.”_ Whatever that meant. Wanting to tease him even more, you got yourself comfortable in your seat.

Face cupped in the palm of your hand, you leaned over the counter and pointed a finger at Atsumu. “I want to see Atsumu in the kitchen. You guys have the same genes, right? So Atsumu’s gotta be pretty good too.”

“Ya really don’t,” Osamu said, shaking his head. “Unless ya wanna get a stomach bug.”

“Hey! I’m a good cook! A helluva great one!” Atsumu challenged his brother and stood up. He stared down at his brother, ready to put his skills to the test.

“Sure ya are,” Osamu replied. “Just like that time when I told you watch the microwave at the—”

“’Samu!”

Atsumu sat back down and covered his reddening face with his two hands. There was a satisfied look on Osamu’s face as he started to prepare for the dinner shift. Watching the two of them talk and have fun together really brightened your mood. Perhaps it was a lucky thing to have stumbled into Onigiri Miya on a rainy day.

After all, a meal always tasted better with good company.

* * *

**EXTRA 1:**

About an hour later, you finally took your leave. The rain outside had started to settle down to a bearable amount and you could hail a taxi to go back home. As soon as the sliding door shut closed, Osamu leaned over the counter, palms pressed on the table, and gave a cheeky grin to his brother.

“Yer payin’ for the onigiri.”

“What!” Atsumu jumped up from his seat and pointed his index finger at his brother. “Ya literally just said ‘On the house’ which means outta yer pocket—not mine!”

“Yeesh, relax, ‘Tsumu,” Osamu chuckled out. “It was a joke. Ya should bring ‘em over here more often.”

Like a mantra, your words echoed through Atsumu’s mind, practically circling his cranium.

_I’ve always liked guys who knew how to cook. I’ve always liked guys who knew how to cook. I’ve always liked guys who knew how to cook. I’ve always liked guys who knew how to cook. I’ve always liked guys who knew how to cook. I’ve always liked guys who knew how to cook._

“No, never,” Atsumu rejected, making an “x” with his arms.

Osamu frowned.

“Why not?”

“There’re other places to eat at, too!”

Now, Osamu narrowed his eyes at his brother. Seriously? Going to competitors instead of his restaurant? What a low blow. It wasn’t like he was doing anything wrong, he was just trying to have a simple conversation with his—

Then it clicked. And Atsumu _knew_ Osamu figured something out from the knowing look on his face, the way his lips quirked upwards, and the slight tilt of his head.

“Bring ‘em over again,” Osamu’s tone turned more upbeat. “[Name], was it? They’re cute. Reaaaaaaal cute.”

Atsumu grabbed a pair of chopsticks from the small container nearby and pointed it at Osamu like a sword.

“Shaddup!”

Amused at how fast Atsumu was getting flustered, Osamu kept at it with his teasing.

“Put that down, ‘Tsumu. Else I’m gonna tell [Name] about the time ya wet the bed in first grade and blamed it on some random—”

“I said shut it!” Atsumu yelled out. He didn’t mean to, but the chopsticks in his hands accidentally slipped out and one of the sticks hit Osamu on the head. It clattered on the ground and Osamu stared at his brother, taking time to process what just happened.

Except for the light rain, there wasn’t so much of another sound in the space they occupied. Wordlessly, Osamu grabbed the nearest blunt object he could find while Atsumu grabbed another pair of chopsticks.

They may have grown up, but some things just stayed the same between them.

* * *

**EXTRA 2:**

After a few minutes of walking, you realized you had actually forgotten one of your shopping bags at Osamu’s restaurant. Thankfully, you were still on the same street and all you had to do was turn around and walk back. The light rain had turned into more of a mist, so it wasn’t a bother at all.

Back at Onigiri Miya’s entrance, you pushed the sliding door and stepped inside.

“Sorry, I left my bag here and I just came back to—”

What you saw was surprising.

It was nothing like how it was when you left. Atsumu had a knee up on the counter and a pair of chopsticks in one of his hands. He was trying to reach over to the open kitchen and thwack Osamu in the head. Meanwhile, Osamu had a large wooden rice paddle and was swatting the air in front of Atsumu as if he were a fly. The two didn’t seem to notice you as they were too busy with each other. If either one let their guard down then it would have caused a stick to the eye or a concussion.

Yeah, Osamu was definitely Atsumu’s twin.

* * *

**EXTRA 3:**

“Oh, you’re back,” Osamu greeted you from behind the counter. Since it was lunchtime there were a few other patrons enjoying their meal. The store seemed a lot more lively compared to the other day. “Here or to-go?”

“Both actually,” you replied and sat down at the same seat you did the other day. “I told my co-workers about this place and they asked me to bring some over after my lunch break.”

He handed you a menu, a pleasant smile on his face. There was nothing more he liked hearing than someone enjoying the food he made. It was even better that you were sharing it with others. Taking a quick glance, you pointed at the onigiri you got last time.

“Minced tuna and spring onion? Same one as before?”

“Yeah,” you nodded your head, “that one was really good.”

He gave a happy hum. “That’s ‘Tsumu’s favorite.”

“Oh really? Well, he has good taste.”

His eyes flickered over to you for a second.

“Yeah, he does.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... I recently found out that the MSBY Black Jackals' team location is based in the Osaka prefecture (Higashiosaka to be exact)! Thank god because I did not want to go and edit chapter 4 of this series if they were actually based in Tokyo or something.
> 
> Before I forget, that little story about Atsumu wetting the bed in first grade... it came from the fourth chapter of Haikyuu-bu!! I didn't make it up, haha!
> 
> Yoooooo, thanks for reading! I'm going to take a short break off tomorrow from updating to hang out with my family and friends (on facetime... haha). I hope you all have a lovely New Year's celebration! Hug your family, give a kiss to someone special, drink some champagne... or read fanfiction. Whatever floats your boat. Wishing you all the best for this upcoming year!
> 
> Peace.


	10. quarterly gentlemen's award party

The plastic of your lanyard bent underneath your fingers as you mindlessly fidgeted. There was a buzz all around, the vicinity filled with people. A crowd of paparazzi waited and whispered as they adjusted their industrial sized cameras, checking for the time on their phones in anticipation. Right in front of you, the red carpet was kept in pristine condition, a few staff members coming out every few or so minutes to steam clean any microscopic imperfections. It was a frenzy you were somewhat accustomed to.

As the sky began to darken with the setting sun, you felt last minute jitters build up within your gut. Everyone was on edge and you absorbed this energy like a sponge.

Quarterly Gentlemen’s Japan. It was one of the most well-known magazine publications out in circulation containing all the tips, tricks, and stories for men to indulge in. You’d have to be living underneath a rock to not know about QG. The publication wasn’t only famous for its monthly issues, but also for its presence on the largest social media platforms: videos, photographs, and interviews with all the rising stars were always being shared online. Not only this, but every year there was one event that was endlessly hyped up.

The QG Men of the Year Awards.

This event was held to acknowledge individuals who went above and beyond in the year; athletes, musicians, actors, comedians, anyone who left a lasting cultural impact could be honored. Tonight, just like the previous years, another large scale celebration was prepared by the QG team and the MSBY Black Jackals were, of course, invited to attend.

Letting go of your lanyard, you started to press your thumb into the palm of the other hand, massaging and soothing your nerves. With such a big event and with so many watchful eyes, you couldn’t help but worry about something going wrong. Sometimes it seemed as if trouble just followed you—much to your dismay.

“Hey, are you okay?” a nearby staffer asked, eyeing your nervous state.

Her voice pulled you back to reality.

_No, not at all._

“Yeah, I’m fine,” you managed to lie with a smile. “Nerves, you know.”

She gave another look over you, her mouth slightly frowning, but didn’t prod any longer. There were a million things to worry about already, you could tell from the stacks of paper sitting on her clipboard. Her earpiece let out a harsh sound of static that even you could hear from where you were standing, but she didn’t look the least bit phased. Instead, she just hummed a response of “Yeah, got it,” and “Ready on our side.” Before she left, she sent a small smile your way and softly squeezed your shoulder—a reminder to relax and enjoy the party.

Within the next few minutes, the first luxury SUV came into view and rolled on up to the curb, right next to the red carpet. There was a sudden fever among the crowd of staff, photographers, organizers, and even fans who waited outside for a glimpse of their favorite celebrities. All the cameramen and reporters straightened up, positioning themselves to take the perfect shot and document the event. You exhaled and relaxed your shoulders as the first guests strode across, sending smiles all around.

There was nothing to worry about.

Besides, the night was just getting started.

* * *

Red carpet went according to plan. The guys were dressed to the nines in their suit and ties (sponsored outfits, of course); while Atsumu, Meian, and Thomas wore fitted blazers, the rest—excluding Sakusa who decided a crisp white dress shirt was more than enough—opted for a suit vest. Interviews and photo sessions proceeded without any troubles; Meian definitely carried the group with answering questions about the event and what to expect for the upcoming season from the team.

By the time they were finished with the publicity work, you and the other staff members who were tasked to help with documentation were quick on uploading the content throughout all social media platforms. As usual, the responses were well received:

> **@15sakusakfan** :
> 
> damn look at sakusa!!! Pretty face and a thin waist!! The power he holds over me… 

> **@wansangoodboy:**
> 
> LOOK AT INUNAKI!?!?!?!? WOOF WOFOOW FAKSfj ARF ARFASJF

> **@spiritb0mb:**
> 
> bokuto has transcended the dorito body. he’s so beefy now that the only way to describe him is with an onigiri body. i don’t make the rules

With the work portion of the night done, posted, and sent for future editing and queueing, you were granted the time to enjoy the party. The other members of the team had already dispersed into the crowd and started to mingle with their friends and colleagues. Events like these were usually the best for networking with other prominent individuals and expanding social circles.

Similar to last year, this year’s venue was pretty ritzy. The first steps inside, you were met with a scene of opulence: chaise lounge chairs scattered across the loft, decorated columns reaching above to support the all glass roof, massive chandelier refracting the crystals that wrapped around its arms. It was easy to feel out of place. There were many guests enjoying themselves in conversation and, in your mind, probably talking about some sort of trust fund. With every step you made on the tile floors, a _clack_ echoed, but nobody paid any mind to this. A few busboys stopped you along the way to offer some refreshments, and you declined all but one.

The banquet room of the venue was dimmed and already quite crowded. Along the back wall was a bar serving up drinks to guests. Bartenders were on par with regular entertainers as they ostentatiously popped open bottles of Don Périgmom.

With your own glass in hand, you stuck to one of the high cocktail tables that randomly dotted the room. The staff members who had accompanied you went off on their own. Said they wanted to get a glimpse of some movie star. This didn’t bother you; after all, these events happen only once a year. It’d be best to enjoy it to the fullest. The glass you had in your hand was half empty as you rolled the drink from side to side, watching the liquid crash like waves against the walls.

“Lonely?”

Oh. You knew that voice. It was a wonder how he even found you.

“Not really. I’m just enjoying some time by myself.” You took a sip of your drink and then continued, “Didn’t you say a couple friends of yours were invited too? Shouldn’t you be with them when they announce athlete of the year, Miya?”

Atsumu took a few steps, joining you at the once empty table. He leaned his body forward, elbow pressed against the table top as he held his chin with the palm of his hand. “Said they wanted to stay in the loft.”

“Bokuto?”

“Went to the boys room with Wan-san.”

“Hinata?”

“Ditched me for Tobio and some other guys.”

You didn’t even bother to ask about Sakusa and instead just nodded your head in understanding. This was a pretty big event, so people were bound to split up. You and Atsumu kept a comfortable silence, standing next to each other and watching the crowd of people as if you two were at a Parisian café. Every now and then he would take a sip of his champagne. You raised an eyebrow at him.

“You’re drinking?”

“Not too much. ‘Sides, you’re drinking too.”

You lifted the glass in your hand in front of your face. “They had some non-alcoholic wine. I need to be sober since I have to drive back home after this.”

He shrugged and then brought his drink to his lips again. You warily eyed the glass in his hand one last time, but then brushed the nagging feel away. He was an adult and could take care of himself. No longer concerned about his alcoholic intake, your gaze traveled from his hand to his wrist, to the suit he was wearing, to the few wrinkles on his shirt. He didn’t seem to notice you staring at his crimson necktie. It was loose and looking a bit crooked.

“Did you mess with your tie or something?” you asked, tilting your head as you examined him.

He scratched the back of his neck and let out a short chuckle.

Guilty.

You took one last sip of your wine and then placed the glass on the table. 

“Do you need help fixing it?” you asked and pointed to his tie.

Startled by your kindness, Atsumu nearly spat out his drink and instantly straightened up, nodding his head in a fervent manner. Unfortunately, since his movements were so sudden, the table wobbled and caused your glass to spill all over. You were both frantic in trying to reorient the glass, his fingers brushing over yours in an attempt to stop the table from shaking any further. The top of the table was drenched, droplets of the wine dripping off the edges and onto the ground.

“Stay here, I’ll go find some napkins,” you hurried off to the back bar area, glass in hand as you left Atsumu behind.

“H-Hey, wait!” he called out, but you were already an earshot away.

The loud music did nothing to help and he stood by himself at the cocktail table. 

He cursed at himself and downed his glass of champagne.

* * *

There was a crowd of people waiting for their drinks when you arrived at the bar area. The bartenders were quick at work, professionally filling up glass after glass and popping open bottles in a way to keep the waiting guests entertained. One of the bartenders even juggled a couple of the bottles. Pretty ballsy especially since dropping one would probably cost an arm and a leg. You squinted your eyes and stood on the tips of your toes, scanning through to see if there was a busboy or anyone who could help you with the spill. Damn these dimmed lights. They really weren’t helping you at all.

“[Name]?” a voice called out.

You felt a sense of relief at hearing your name from someone familiar.

“Hinata!” you exclaimed and turned to face him.

He had disappeared right after the red carpet to talk to a couple of his friends and now was the first time you were talking to him for the night.

What you found was that he wasn’t alone.

Standing beside him was long, tan and handsome. Really, _really_ handsome. Especially up close, all his features were sharp and chiseled. The suit he was wearing was perfectly fitted, the top two buttons of his dress shirt undone. He had a naturally attractive aura about him as he took a sip out of his glass, the thin stem wedged between his fingers as he lazily rolled the bulb to mix the champagne.

The best part? He wasn’t smiling at the moment.

“You remember Ushijima, right?” Hinata asked. You nodded, a bit star struck. The initial meeting with him was… less than ideal. But now? That first impression was completely lost. Gone. Never to be seen again. “That’s great! Did you know that Ushijima doesn’t have an Instagram? You should convince him to start one up. I mean, even Kageyama has one!”

Ushijima nodded his head, though he didn’t really understand the importance of having an account on the platform. He was all up for hearing what you had to say after Hinata had spent the last thirty minutes of the night raving about all its features. Not one to be asked twice, you cleared your throat and started to circle your finger at the rim of your glass.

“Well, for starters…”

(You had completely forgotten about the spilled wine and Atsumu.)

* * *

After waiting alone for ten minutes, Atsumu took it upon himself to clean the mess up. It wasn’t like you to just up and disappear, so he found himself making a couple of rounds, from the bar to the dance floor to the double doors leading back to the loft—he couldn’t find you. Frustration welled up within him and he walked back inside the banquet room. Surprisingly, he found Sakusa. He was leaning against the wall, his own glass of wine held up in front of him, distanced away from the other guests.

“Omi,” Atsumu said as he approached. Sakusa’s eyes flickered to Atsumu and then he let his gaze fall back to whatever he was staring at. “D’ya see [Name] anywhere?” He didn’t want to say that he had been looking all over in fear of sounding like a creepy stalker.

“Over there,” Sakusa nodded his head in the direction you were at.

Atsumu turned around and squinted his eyes. Then he rubbed at them, exaggerated his blinks, and even pinched himself.

The scene playing out before him was unbelievable.

“Why’s [Name] talkin’ to _him?”_

A couple tables away, you were standing beside Ushijima and trying to engage in conversation. It looked like you were a bit nervous, your lips moving about a mile a minute as he responded in a straightforward manner. You even accidentally took a sip out of your empty glass, laughing in embarrassment when you realized there was nothing in it.

“Something wrong, Miya?"

“Uh, yeah,” Atsumu let out a huff and sent the evil eye to Ushijima, “doesn’t it bother you?”

Sakusa took another quick glance before downing his glass. “I’m getting another drink.”

His hands were shoved in his pockets as he turned his back to Atsumu and left him by his lonesome. This party was exhausting him, and it wasn’t just because of Atsumu making his presence known.

“Wait up, Omi-Omi!” Atsumu called out while taking a jog to catch up.

Sakusa didn’t wait and kept walking, not even bothering to look over his shoulder as he made sure to keep his distance from the other party goers. Typical, but Atsumu was quick on his feet. He almost looped an arm around his shoulder, but knew better than to do so—even after drinking a full glass.

Sakusa figured this was going to be a long night. _Especially_ since Atsumu was going to be drinking anything more than a glass of champagne. He shuddered at the thought.

Another drink was definitely needed.

* * *

One thing you learned early on about Atsumu was that he was an absolute lightweight. Not that you actually got to see it with your own two eyes, but there seemed to be a countless number of stories about all his drunken incidents. Ask anyone on the team about it. They all had some dirt on him. One of the most infamous tales was an after match win when Atsumu took too many shots and ended up asking a light pole for its number. He could refute all he wanted (which he did), but everyone knew he couldn’t handle anything over a can of beer or a glass of wine. And if he _did_ drink over his limit he would succumb to becoming a swaying, slurring, flirty mess.

Tonight, you got the opportunity to witness Atsumu in all his drunken glory.

After your chat with Ushijima, you went back to the bar to get a refill for your empty glass. Though, you felt a little bit off. Like you were forgetting something. With your glass filled, you started to walk around by yourself, trying to retrace your steps. You had your purse, your lanyard, your phone… Well, whatever it was couldn’t have been too important.

In the middle of your wandering, you noticed Sakusa standing by himself and you froze for a moment. The wine commercial replayed in the back of your mind like some sort of horror movie. Even after all this time, it was still rather difficult to look Sakusa in the eyes. You shook your head and then, with great resolve, made your way to him.

Approaching him, you noticed it looked like Sakusa was staring off into space. The corners of his lips were slightly quirked upwards and he took a sip out of his glass every now and then. If you were being honest, he actually looked quite pleased. When you came into his peripheral view, Sakusa nodded in acknowledgement and then went back to staring. Curious, you squinted in the direction he was focused on.

Your jaw dropped.

“Is that… Miya?”

In the area Sakusa was peering at, there stood Atsumu trying to put the moves on one of the columns supporting the building. A few people were staring at him in confusion as he wrapped an arm around the beam and leaned in towards it, but after a quick look they brushed it off. If it weren’t for the loud music and the lack of lightning, you were sure someone would have already gotten pictures and videos of Atsumu acting a fool.

Seeing him in this intoxicated state was akin to seeing a car accident on the highway: you wanted to look away, but your eyes automatically gravitated towards the sad sight. The glass of Don Périgmom was hanging loosely between his fingers as he leaned in closer to the beam, whispering sweet nothings to it. Unfortunate to say that his words were all for naught.

“How long has he been… doing that?” you asked Sakusa. 

He lazily looked at his wrist watch. “A little over ten minutes.”

Your eyes bulged out of your head. Ten minutes? And nobody helped him? How can a person even talk to a freaking beam for ten minutes? Sakusa continued to observe Atsumu, taking graceful sips out of his glass. He was definitely enjoying the show. Maybe a little too much.

It was when Atsumu started pressing his head against the beam that you realized he was really, _really_ wasted. He was swaying back and forth, the world most likely spinning for him.

“Do you mind holding onto this?” you asked, handing Sakusa your glass. He nodded and took it into his other hand. “Where’s Bokuto?”

Sakusa’s eyes flickered to the right. There, Bokuto was chatting it up with a couple of guys. Marching off, you grabbed Bokuto by the arm and started to haul him towards Atsumu while explaining the situation. Sure, it was a bit rude to steal him away, but you needed all the help you could get. There was no way Sakusa was going anywhere near a drunken Atsumu. Plus, Bokuto was the most forgiving on the team. He wouldn’t hold this incident over anyone.

The closer you got to Atsumu, the more you regretted not saying something at the cocktail table earlier in the night. Currently, he was stuck in conversation with the beam. At the sight of his teammate acting all flirty with an inanimate object, Boktuo let out a jolly laugh.

“Miya,” you approached him with careful steps, worried that he might be a belligerent drunk, “I think you had a little too much to drink and—”

He turned his body around and grinned at you as he took both of your hands into his.

“Have we met before? Name’s ‘Tsumu, but you can call me tonight.”

It was worse than what you expected. You couldn’t even find the words to respond to him as you stared in stupor. His hands were still encapsulating yours and he nearly went in to kiss your knuckles before you sharply pulled away. He pouted his lips in the most exaggerated manner and stared with eyes that reminded you of a puppy’s.

“Ya don’t like me? I swear,” he pointed to the beam next to him, “she doesn’t mean anything to me!”

Again, you just stared at him, unable to say anything back. He looked like he was going to cry. Never in your life did you think Atsumu was an emotional drunk.

Bokuto started laughing at the disbelief painted on your face.

“Alright Tsum-Tsum, looks like you’re totally wasted. How much did you drink anyway?”

He rounded Atsumu’s arm over his shoulders and lugged him along.

“Uhh,” Atsumu held up his hand and sprawled his fingers. He squinted his eyes as he stared at all five digits, counting them in his head. “This many?”

“No kidding?” Bokuto continued to talk to Atsumu, chuckling at his slurred words. “Hey, [Name], do you mind helping me with the other side?”

You nodded your head and then warily put Atsumu’s other arm around your shoulders. “He’s not going to get… handsy, right?”

“Nah, don’t worry about that, [Name]! He’ll feel better after going to the bathroom.”

“[Name]?” Atsumu repeated and let out a content sigh. There was a dreamy look on his face. “That’s what they call ya? That’s the prettiest thing I’ve ever heard!”

“He’ll just try to put the moves on you,” Bokuto was, once again, having a hard time containing his laughter.

As a unit, you and Bokuto left the banquet room with Atsumu sandwiched between you two. Since he was off the rocker drunk, Atsumu was dragging his feet and kicking out at points while also giggling and flirting the entire time. The amount of awful pickup lines he had under his belt was frightening. A few guests stared at him and you made sure to keep your head down. Only Bokuto was indulging in conversation with Atsumu and reciprocating. He seemed to really know how to handle him in his drunken state. No doubt, this wasn’t the first time Bokuto had to deal with him acting like this.

“Wait, _hic!_ Waitta minute!” Atsumu yelled out and planted his feet to the tile floor. He let his head hang forward as he stared at the ground for a moment to collect himself. 

“You okay?” you asked. He stood still and you exchanged a concerned glance with Bokuto. Handling a drunk Atsumu was definitely not in the job description, but you didn’t want to see him act like an idiot in front of everyone. Especially when the night was coming to a close and they would soon award the Men of the Year for each category. “I don’t think he’s okay right now.”

Boktuo patted Atsumu on the back. “Maybe we should stop for a—”

_“Shhh!”_ Atsumu haphazardly tried to use the hand closest to Bokuto to cover his mouth, but he ended up lightly slapping his cheek. “Bokkun! Let ‘er talk! It’s like _muuuuusic_ to my ears!”

“Tsum-Tsum, you realluuuhh—”

Atsumu pulled on the corner of Bokuto’s lips and rendered him speechless for a moment.

“Yanno, yer _reeeeeeal_ pretty,” he slurred out, head tilting to the side with a goofy smile.

There was a bright red flush painted across his face as he leaned in towards you. The faintest smell of alcohol invaded your nose when he let a soft laugh flutter out from his lips, but for some reason this didn’t bother you as much as it usually would. He let out another hiccup and then pressed his body against yours. Had Bokuto not been there to help support Atsumu, he probably would have toppled over you.

“You’re heavy,” you mumbled. He didn’t hear what you said and instead slouched and nuzzled his face into your shoulder. “We need to keep walking you to the bathroom so you can freshen up…”

_“Noooo,_ I like it, _hic!_ Here better...”

His words tickled your neck and you lightly tried to push away at his chest, but he wouldn’t budge. He only let out a content sigh. After what seemed like forever, Bokuto finally got Atsumu’s other hand out of his mouth and then hoisted him back up, pulling him away from you. This left Atsumu to groan and pout and flail a bit.

“C’mon, Tsum-Tsum, you need to cooperate a bit here!”

Atsumu wiggled around even more. “No!”

“Miya,” you started. Dealing with him like this was tiring. “Please, the bathroom’s just down the hall. We’re almost there.”

He grumbled, but started to walk again. You and Bokuto made slow strides, allowing Atsumu the time to move his legs. Once outside the men’s room, you peeled Atsumu’s arm off your shoulders and handed him off to Bokuto. A look of betrayal was sent your way—widened eyes, slackened jaw and all.

“Yer not comin’ in?”

“No? It’s the men’s room?”

“So?”

Bokuto let out a nervous laugh and pulled the door open. “It’s alright, it’ll only take a couple of minutes. And [Name] will be out here waiting for us!”

Atsumu shook his head. “I dun wanna! I wanna stay out here with [Name]!”

Bokuto looked at you with pleading eyes, silently begging for you to do something as Atsumu started to lightly hit his chest in defiance.

“I can’t go in there, Miya.”

“Can ya call me ‘Tsumu, _pleeeeease?_ I’ll go in if ya say it!”

You let out a defeated sigh.

“’Tsumu, please go to the bathroom with Bokuto.”

Atsumu let out a dopey smile and then tried to push the pull-door. He started to bang his hand on the door, thinking if he did so it would open up for him. Bokuto tried to help him, but he swatted his hand away, too prideful to show that he could open a door by himself.

“I’ll go in myself!”

He kept pushing and pushing and _pushing_ while you and Bokuto awkwardly stood and watched. Having enough you grabbed his arm to get him to stop. At your touch, he instantly relaxed.

“Can you just let him help you—"

It all happened so fast.

One second, Atsumu was whining like a baby, lashing out about something as trivial as you going to the bathroom with him and opening a door.

The next, he ended up emptying the contents of his stomach.

Right.

On.

Your.

Feet.

After hurling, Atsumu kept swaying on his heels and he pressed his hand against his forehead. Bokuto was still holding him up and he stared in horror. You started to shake in both disgust and fury, the warm sensation of whatever the hell he ate earlier in the day coating your feet and ruining your shoes.

“Please,” you started, unable to get rid of the slight tremor in your voice as you stared at the wall with a blank expression. You really couldn’t even bear to look at him. “Just get him into the bathroom.”

Bokuto didn’t need to be told twice.

Another story of drunken Atsumu was added to the pile that night.

* * *

**EXTRA 1:**

The entire drunken Atsumu fiasco subsided after a successful bathroom trip with Bokuto. You were now standing in the hallway, shoeless and checking your phone for the time. It was pretty late at night, but the award ceremony was still about an hour away. Maybe it would be best to go home, after all there was always next year.

“Oh, [Name], you alright?”

You looked up from your phone to see Meian approaching; he had his blazer swung over his shoulder while his other hand was in his pants pocket. He sent a smile your way.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“What’re you doing alone out here?”

You jabbed your thumb over your shoulder and Meian took a glance back. A passed out Atsumu was peacefully sleeping on Bokuto’s lap.

“Dealing with that.”

He let out a hearty laugh. It looked like Bokuto was Atsumu’s mom or something as he patted his back every now and then. Meian was about to make a joke about them, but then he noticed your bare feet.

“Where are your shoes?” Meian asked, brows furrowed in confusion.

“…I threw them out,” you replied, shivering as you thought about the whole ordeal that happened a half hour ago. After cleaning yourself off in the restroom, you tried to salvage your heels, but there was a lingering scent of bile attached to the suede. “It’s fine… I have some spare shoes in my car.”

He took a glance at his wrist watch. “Why not get them now? We still have a couple hours until the night ends.”

“I don’t want to go alone outside.”

There was a pause in conversation.

“I’ll go with you.”

You were taken aback as you whipped your head to look at him in the face.

“What?”

“I needed to get some fresh air anyway. The smell of booze was givin’ me a headache,” he nodded his head in the direction of one of the exit doors. “C’mon, I wanna come back before they announce Athlete of the Year.”

He started walking, taking time in his strides for you to catch up to him. Most of the guests were in the banquet room, so the loft was rather empty. A soft, instrumental soundtrack played from the speakers overhead, matching the nighttime mood. The doors of the venue slid open and Meian stopped as he stared at the concrete. Wordlessly, he started to unlace his shoes.

“What’re you doing?” you asked, staring at his feet.

“Here,” he handed you one of his shoes, “I’ve got socks on, but you can’t just walk barefoot on the lot. Something’ll stab your foot…”

It didn’t look like he was going to take no for an answer, so you accepted his shoes. They were huge; it was expected since he had a shoe size over thirty centimeters. A soft laugh escaped your lips as you looked at your feet. You weren't sure if you resembled a clown or a penguin at this point.

“Alright, lead the way,” Meian said as he took the first steps outside.

Even if he didn’t win Athlete of the Year, Meian was definitely Gentleman of the Year in your books.

* * *

**EXTRA 2:**

Atsumu hated being hungover. He despised it. The aspirin he took in the morning wasn’t doing much to help and he let out a throaty groan as he shielded his eyes from the sunlight escaping his window. A knock on his door sounded and Atsumu said nothing. He opened one eye and saw Bokuto peeking his head in.

“You alright, Tsum-Tsum?” Boktuo took a couple more steps in, a sorry look on his face as he set down another glass of water on Atsumu’s nightstand.

“What the hell happened last night?”

Bokuto let out a nervous laugh.

“Uh, not much! You kinda got a bit… sick.”

“Yer kiddin’,” Atsumu pressed his palms into his forehead to alleviate the throbbing sensation. “C’mon, Bokkun, just tell me what happened.”

He took a second, deciding whether or not to actually tell the truth. Well, he was probably going to find out sooner or later. Better to tell him now. “You drank more than you could handle last night… and [Name] found you kind of drunk… and asked me to help take you to the bathroom… you were kind of heavy and—”

“Can ya get to the point?”

Bokuto took in a deep breath.

“You threw up on [Name], Tsum-Tsum.”

Silence.

Atsumu felt like dying, and it wasn’t because of the alcohol this time.

* * *

**EXTRA 3:**

Checking your Instagram notifications this morning was the same as opening presents on Christmas day. You kept refreshing the app to see if it was a hallucination or a mirage.

> _USHIJIMAW followed you!_

Maybe the QG party wasn’t too bad after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know last year GQ Japan held their Men of the Year Awards at the Tokyo American Club, but when writing this chapter I sort of had a Ritz Carlton vibe in mind. Also, I know the awards have a dinner and pre-drink service, but I skipped all that to get to the good stuff. And by “good stuff” I definitely mean Atsumu being a flirty emotional drunk. Dunno if I'm the only one, but I sorta headcanon Atsumu being a lightweight drinker.
> 
> Before I forget, the reason why I added “Dom Pérignon” (well, the placeholder in this fic was “Don Périgmom”) is because the actual GQ Japan Men of the Year Awards was sponsored by them as well as Tiffany&Co. The more you know!
> 
> Cheers to 2021! Wishing you guys the best with this new year (': Stay happy and healthy!
> 
> Peace.


	11. fan appreciation day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter inspiration comes from the 12th light novel.

You were never one to love working on the weekends—heck, sometimes you even cursed under your breath when your boss told you to attend an event when every other office worker had a day off. Today was a bit different though. This wasn’t just any Saturday. On no, this was a special weekend—especially for the MSBY Black Jackals.

It was fan appreciation day.

Every year, the team would dedicate an entire day to give back to the fans; the members would participate in a handshake event, an autograph signing, a question-and-answer panel, _and_ a special fan voted activity for the guys to do.

After a series of online polls conducted a month beforehand, the results were finally in. And, not to anyone's surprise, one event won by a landslide.

Last year, the guys had to do a cheer routine while wearing the MSBY cheerleading uniforms. This year? A dance routine. Not just any dance routine—it was the bubbly dance routine trend known for its outlandish 80’s inspired outfits, makeup, and hair.

With only an hour until the start of fan appreciation day, the guys of the team were running in all directions backstage to get ready. They had to get their makeup done, costumes fitted, and wigs pinned since they were going to kick start the whole thing with the dance routine. It was a chaotic mess to witness.

Amidst it all, there was one member who wasn’t eager to get ready.

Slouched with his hands in the pockets of his pants, Sakusa grimaced as he stared at his teammates. They looked ridiculous in his eyes. Vibrant blue eyeshadow, crimson lips, tight body con skirts, breast coats with over padded shoulders, and synthetic wigs were _not_ his style. _Crossdressing?_ No thanks. He wasn't into that.

From the other side, Atsumu stepped out of the dressing room and showed off how his thighs looked in the tight fitting skirt he wore. Sakusa gagged. He wasn’t wearing a mask and he honestly hoped someone saw how sickened he looked.

(Someone did.)

“Sakusa, are you okay?” you asked, joining his side.

He looked a little pale. Paler than usual, which was saying something since his skin was the same color of a piece of A4 printer paper.

“No,” he shook his head slightly, “I’m not.”

“Do you need to sit down? This is your first fan appreciation day, right? Maybe you’re just a little nervous.” You checked on his condition as he scrunched his face in disdain at Atsumu. He most certainly wasn’t nervous—he just loathed the fact that he had to dress up in a ridiculous outfit and wear a ridiculous amount of makeup. What happened to the days when volleyball players only played volleyball? He definitely didn’t remember signing up for this when he finalized his contract. “Let me go grab a water bottle for you. I think you just—”

“[Name], don’t worry yerself too much ‘bout lil Omi!” Atsumu interrupted, joining in on the conversation. He almost grabbed onto Sakusa’s shoulder, but the glare he received was enough to back off. “Yanno how he is. Prickly.”

“Miya.”

All it took was one word to get Atsumu to take a step back.

“Listen, all I’m sayin’ is that yer fine!” Atsumu raised both his hands in front of himself in defeat. “The stylist’s been callin’ yer name for the past five minutes too, Omi. Better not keep ‘em waitin’.”

There was pained look on Sakusa’s face. You didn’t miss the way his jaw clenched as he stared at the dressing rooms.

“It won’t be too bad,” you tried to reassure him with a smile on your face. “You guys will only perform for, what… five minutes? After that you’ll be given time to wash off the makeup, take off the wigs, and change back to your uniforms.” You nodded your head in Bokuto’s direction. He was standing alongside Inunaki and Thomas. All three of them were playing with the strands from their wigs, doing ridiculous poses to show off their physique. “Who knows, you might even have a bit of fun like them.”

There was an internal battle going on inside Sakusa’s head. He most certainly was _not_ going to have fun like those three—the word “not” emphasized to the maximum degree. The past week, he had to partake in a handful of dance practices and he really, _really_ didn’t mind wasting the small bit of experience he gained. But at the same time…

“…Okay,” he begrudgingly accepted his fate and trudged his feet to the other side of the room as if he had cinderblocks shackled to his ankles.

This was going to be a long day for Sakusa.

* * *

“I look ridiculous.”

Standing before you, Sakusa was donned in an all blue ensemble: electric blue breast coat with over exaggerated shoulder pads, a matching tight fitting pencil skirt, a baby blue belt to accentuate his waist. There was a scowl on his face. He was already over this entire day.

“You look great!” you exclaimed and tried to hold back your laughter as you smiled at him. The corner of your eyes started to crinkle and he didn’t miss the slight twitch of your lips. “Really, I think you look nice in blue. And the fans’ll love you in this!”

His body felt constricted and it wasn’t because of the skirt.

“Hey, hey! Omi, you’re lookin’ real good!” Bokuto called out from the other end of the room. When he walked over to you two, he sashayed his hips a little. He was feeling himself in his all yellow outfit. He kind of looked like the sun. Or a mustard bottle. “Don’t you think we look hot? [Name], you should take a photo of us!”

“Great idea!” you reciprocated his enthusiasm and held up your camera.

Sakusa wished the ground would just swallow him whole.

“Hold on a second! Bokkun, Omi-Omi, lemme join ya!”

Annnnnd his day just kept getting worse. Atsumu made his way beside Sakusa and started to do an extravagant pose. He already had his makeup done and his wig fixed into place—same deal as Bokuto. They both placed a hand on their hip and bent their backs in a bit to show off their curves; as a flirty touch, they both blew kisses to the camera.

“C’mon, Omi-Omi, play it up for the camera a bit,” Atsumu whispered, still maintaining his pose.

“No.”

“Yer lookin’ like a statue.”

“I don’t care.” Atsumu was really grinding Sakusa’s gears, so he thought it was only fair that he do the same back. “And stop standing so close to me. I don’t want you throwing up on my shoes.”

Atsumu went red in the face.

“That was one time!” Atsumu retorted back, whisper containing more bite. “And I said I was sorry to her!”

“I really don’t—"

There was a flash. All three of the guys blinked at you and stood still as you inspected the photo. Something was off about it. You knitted your brows together, trying to figure out just what was wrong.

“Ah… let’s do that one more time,” you spoke, voice soft. Maybe it was because Sakusa was scowling? “Sakusa, do you mind… loosening up a bit?”

He inhaled and took a second to comply. His features relaxed and he looked at the lens of your camera with a more neutral expression. Hell, he even tried to smile (it was almost nonexistent though).

Another flash. This time, you were grinning in satisfaction upon checking the result.

“This one looks really nice,” you said, smiling once more. Except for Sakusa, the other guys took it upon themselves to join your side and take a peek at the photo. “Everyone’s going to love this!”

“We look pretty hot! I think yellow’s my color.” Bokuto pointed at the screen, a pleased look on his face. “Man, check out my legs,” he slapped the outside of his thigh and a sound similar to a clap of thunder rang out, “that’s what happens when you never skip leg day!”

Atsumu leaned in forward, his head next to yours as he inspected the shot. He grinned. “Damn right, we look good! [Name], aren’t ya just the luckiest to be surrounded by such—”

“Miya! We need to make some adjustments on your jacket!” a stylist yelled out, interrupting him.

“Oh, looks like you’re up,” you said to Atsumu while focusing more on the pictures you took. Your eyes were glued on the screen, hand raised half-heartedly waving him goodbye. “Have fun.”

“Hol’ up, how about we—!”

Seemingly popping out of nowhere, Inunaki grabbed onto Atsumu’s wrist to drag him over to get his last minute alternations done.

“C’mon, can’t waste any more time idling around. Let’s get this done fast!”

“Wait, but Wan-san!”

“No buts!”

And with that, Atsumu was out of your hair. He really didn’t stand much of a chance against Inunaki. Within the next few minutes, Bokuto and Sakusa were also called for some final adjustments (though Bokuto had to practically drag Sakusa to get his makeup done).

With the clock ticking, staff around you ran back and forth to make sure everything was perfect for today. Especially with regards to the outfits. Glancing to the side, you noticed Meian trying to hold together the body con skirt he was wearing. Due to his… developed glutes… the skirt ended up ripping when he crouched down. There was a team of stylists circled around him, trying their best to mend the fabric together. At the vanities, Oliver and Thomas were getting their makeup done. The amount of shimmers used on their eyelids was blinding. 

It seemed as if everyone was busy.

Well, _almost_ everyone.

The only player who wasn’t crossdressing in retro garb was Hinata. He stared at the members with a dejected expression. Wondering what was wrong with him, you approached.

“Hinata, everything okay?” It was a bit of a déjà vu moment when you asked.

He flinched at the sound of your voice and stood up straight. Twiddling with his thumbs, he pondered whether or not to tell you the truth. “Well…” The word trailed off. He decided to bite the bullet and say what was on his mind. “I want to dance… and dress up too.”

Oh. This was unexpected. Since Hinata was a much newer recruit for the team, it was decided that he wouldn’t participate in the retro dance routine. You thought he would have been grateful to be spared from punishment, but guess not. He looked heartbroken. In an attempt to cheer him up, you patted his shoulder.

“Don’t worry! There’s still the handshake event afterwards to look forward to,” you reassured him. “And don’t forget the signing as well! You’ll get the chance to meet the fans and show them all you have to offer.”

He stared at Bokuto from across the room. His senior was flipping the hair from his wig into the air and laughing boisterously with the other guys. All his teammates around him may have looked ridiculous, but they were enjoying themselves.

“It seems really fun though…”

This predicament was really affecting him more than you thought. If you were being honest, Hinata lucked out. He would come to his senses after the event. By then, all social platforms would be flooded with pictures and videos of the guys dancing their skirts and wigs. No doubt, this dance routine was going to haunt a couple of them for years to come.

He let out a heavy sigh. Seeing his crestfallen face really did pain you. There had to be _some_ sort of middle ground. Something with Hinata being able to still interact with the fans and not feel left out.

“Oh, I know!” you exclaimed. It was such an obvious job. “Do you want to collect the ballots? I don’t know if anyone told you this, but after the dance routine the fans are going to vote for who they thought danced the best as a ‘MVP’ sort of deal for today. How about you go talk to everyone and collect the votes?”

He straightened up at the prospect of helping. “I can do that?” He grabbed one of your hands with his own and gave a brilliant smile—one that expressed his utmost gratitude. You didn’t miss the joyous gleam in his eyes. “It’s not too much trouble?”

Heat rushed to your face and you nodded at him. “Y-Yeah! Of course, I think everyone will like this compromise better too. The fans will get a chance to talk to you and you’ll collect the votes.”

He let go of your hands and let out a happy laugh, pleased that he would be able to help out. There was an upbeat tone as he continued the conversation, going on about how excited he was to see the dance routine today. It was so simple to appease him. Since everyone was getting final touches done, you kept him company. Talking to him was easy.

You had a feeling Hinata was soon going to be a fan favorite.

* * *

There was an echo of excitement happening in the concert hall. The energy was infectious. Fans had already entered the venue and were seated for the event that was due to start in the next few minutes. The girls closest to the stage giggled into the hands, anticipating what was to come.

Getting the chance to work on this day was a treat—really, it wasn’t often that the guys of the team ended up crossdressing and partaking in a synchronous dance performance. Along the sidelines next to the stage, you stood by Hinata and a few other staff members. He peeked his head to survey the crowd; his eyes darted here and there, amazed by it all.

In an instance, the buzz turned into an eruption of cheers as soon as the first member stepped out from the other side of the stage. There was laughter and gasps and squeals heard from all directions. Like a line of kindergarteners, the guys of the MSBY Black Jackals filed onto the stage and waved at the audience. You swore you saw someone tear up in the front row while mouthing the word “legs” over and over again. Who knew crossdressing men had this kind of effect?

“Wow, they look so cool,” Hinata said. There was a sparkle in his eyes and he couldn’t hold in his smile.

On stage, you realized the eyeshadow the guys had on shimmered more brightly and the lipliner they wore was a few shades too bright. They looked hilarious.

In an attempt to stifle your laughter, you put a fist in front of your mouth.

“They sure do,” you replied. “Super cool.”

Most of the members played it cool, trying to maintain their “tough guy” act as they puffed their chest out a bit and tried to stand up a little taller (Meian). However, there were a few who didn’t care at all and were flaunting themselves by twirling a strand of hair with their finger and sending flirtatious winks to the audience (Bokuto, Atsumu). You noticed Sakusa was pulling at the end of his skirt. Even from where you were standing, there was an obvious pink tinge dusted on his cheeks. Maybe it was makeup? Bokuto was quick to notice his unease and gave Sakusa a slap on the back. This did nothing except cause Sakusa to grimace a bit more. Poor guy was suffering.

(He silently wondered if the seventh layer of hell consisted of having him crossdress and dance.)

Everything turned to white noise for Sakusa when he was on the stage. The MC of the event kept talking and talking and _talking_ to the point where he was starting to feel a slight headache form. He wasn’t nervous per say, but he definitely didn’t feel comfortable. The heat from the stage lights, the slight breeze between his legs, and the inevitable that was soon to occur made him frown.

“Omi doesn’t look too good,” Hinata pointed out. He squinted his eyes at said member. On stage, Sakusa looked ghostly. “I don’t think he wants to dance.”

You nodded your head in agreement. “Yeah, he really doesn’t, but a lot of the fans wanted to see him do this with the rest of the team. It’s nice to know that he’s doing this for them.”

“Do you think he’ll be okay?”

“Of course!” you said. “After all, he’s able to handle Miya on a daily basis. This is nothing in comparison to when Miya dr—actually, never mind.”

“Huh?”

Hinata was going to question you about what you said, but was interrupted by the music blasting out from the speakers. He whipped his head to focus on his teammates. The members on stage were already in position to dance; quick on their feet, they started to move as a unit. When one person popped their hips, the other right next to them did so as well. Each movement was fluid and had a purpose. It was amazing how they were able to sway their hips so freely in their body con outfits.

Except for the upbeat music, the entire hall was silent. The crowd watched in awe. While the guys busted every move they had, flipped their (synthetic) hair over their shoulders, and nearly broke their backs to follow along to the melody, everyone else was left speechless. Tears started to form in the corner of your eyes—in all honesty, you were trying your best to not fall on your knees and burst out in laughter.

Five minutes went by in a flash. At the end of it all, the guys were posing together with Bokuto as the center. Perhaps it was due to the spotlight, but a couple of the guys had an obvious sheet of sweat glistening their faces. Another handful were breathing quite heavily.

As soon as the music cut off and the team bowed in unison, a roar of applause carried all throughout the hell. A few people even stood up and screamed the names of their favorite member. It was definitely one hell of a show. Before going backstage again to change and wash off their makeup, Bokuto and Thomas blew some exaggerated kisses to the audience. People were eating it up, grabbing at the air in an attempt to catch the flying affections.

With everyone off the stage, the staff members went to work on preparing the next event. This also meant it was Hinata’s time to shine.

“Hinata,” you lightly nudged at him and he snapped out of his reverie. He was mesmerized by the show. “Do you want to collect the votes now? The fans already received a ballot to pick the member who they thought did the best in the dance. It’s going to take some time for the guys to get ready for the next event.”

He nodded his head in excitement and you pointed to the where the ballot box was sitting beside the stage. When he stared at the crowd, he suddenly turned a bit more meek. A crooked, unsure smile made its way to his face.

“Ah, for everyone?”

“Yep! All of them,” you grinned. Whatever was making him uneasy was probably rather trivial. In the social aspect, he was one of the best on the team. “The fans are really kind and wouldn’t mind chatting with you for a moment or two while you collect the votes. So don’t worry too much about making a huge impression.” You gave a light push on his back, beckoning him towards the mass of people. “You’ll do great, I promise!”

Hinata exhaled. He certainly did feel a bit nervous. Especially since this was the first time he was participating in fan appreciation day. Nobody really knew him like they knew Atsumu and Bokuto—those two had a fanbase since high school and it continued to grow with their professional career. Nevertheless, he made his way to the first row and held out the ballot box for the fans to slip their votes in. He didn’t really know what to say to start the conversation, so he just said the first thing that came to his mind.

Hinata pointed at the homemade sign resting on the fan’s lap. On it was Atsumu’s jersey number along with his name.

“Do you like Atsumu?”

This caught the girl off guard. She sat up straight and pushed her ballot into the box.

“Yes! I’ve been a fan of his since he first got scouted for this team.”

“Oh, wow!” Hinata reciprocated her excitement and smiled. “That’s a pretty long time! I think Atsumu would be really happy to have such a loyal fan come to his events.”

She blushed. “Hah, really…?”

“Of course! There’s nothing better than to have someone by your side cheering you on.”

From where you were standing, you could see hearts surrounding Hinata’s atmosphere as he chatted away. The fans were swooning over him and his naturally kind personality. Those closest started to listen in on the conversation and were incredibly receptive when he made his way down the row. You didn’t miss the stolen glances when he walked past a few of the fans.

Yeah, he definitely didn’t have anything to worry about.

* * *

With the other staff members busy preparing the tables on stage for the handshake event and Hinata collecting ballots, you decided to go backstage. Maybe you could catch some behind the scene footage for the event. It was looking a bit more bare as the makeup artists and stylists already started to clean up their stations. Racks of 80’s clothing were pushed to a corner as the guys changed back into their uniform.

Members flitted past and busied themselves. Their faces were clean—free from the harsh blush, neon shadows, and bright lips. They spoke in groups, huddled together as they laughed about the performance they put up.

There was only one member who stood alone.

Leaning against the wall, Sakusa was dressed back in his uniform and staring off into space. He looked absolutely weathered. To be honest, you were pretty sure you had seen packaged fish in the supermarket have more spark in its eyes than Sakusa did right now. He really was a sorry sight at the moment.

From afar, you stared at him, wondering whether or not to approach. While it might have been best to just leave him alone (he probably didn’t want to be bothered), you also felt bad for him. All the poor guy wanted to do was play volleyball—crossdressing was the last thing he ever expected to do when joining the team.

You trashed your hesitation in the garbage heap. It would probably be best to check on him. As you drew closer to him, you noticed there was a bit of red smudged at the corner of his lips. He must have been in such a rush to get out of his clothes and makeup that he missed it.

“Sakusa, you still have a little bit…” you poked at the corner of your own lips to see if he would get the hint. He ended up rubbing the opposite side. “No, the other corner.”

He wiped again, but the smudge was still there. Knowing him, he would probably hate it if other people saw him all lipstick stained.

“Hold on,” you said while grabbing a couple of tissues at one of the nearby makeup vanities. “Stay still, I’ll wipe it off for you.”

There was a hesitancy as he stared at you, but he ended up complying, even bending down slightly so you could get a better look at the lipstick smudge. With the tissue in hand, you conducted swift, light movements to clean away the red staining. You didn’t want to pull on his skin. Each swipe was done as gently as possible. The color transferred to the tissue and off his face in no time.

“Perfect! It’s all gone now.”

He gave a hum in thanks, hands stuffed in the pockets of his track jacket. Sometimes it was a bit difficult to communicate with Sakusa. He was one of the more reserved members of the team, but that definitely didn’t mean he was a passive person. He just kept more to himself. You noticed he didn’t look as dead as he did a few minutes ago.

“You know, blue really suits you,” you said, teasing him a bit about his suit attire for the dance routine. A light sigh escaped his lips. This was going to haunt him for the rest of eternity. “I mean it! It makes your features pop.”

“I didn’t know. But I’ll keep that in the back of my mind.”

You chuckled into your hand. “I’m a hundred percent serious. Just like with blond hair, the color looks good on you.”

Again, he hummed in response.

“Are you excited for the rest of the day?” you asked, reigniting the conversation. He was grateful for this.

“I suppose.”

“Aw, what? I don’t think it’ll be that bad in comparison to the dance you just did—”

He nodded in agreement.

“—I mean, most of the guys really enjoy the handshake event on fan appreciation day.”

The world stilled for Sakusa. He had completely forgotten about the handshake event. How many people were in the venue? There had to have been at least a hundred. He couldn’t fathom touching hundreds of little fingers. For the entirety of the morning, Sakusa’s mind was primarily on the dance routine and how much he loathed it. The color drained from his face. Concerned, you stepped closer to check in on his condition.

“Sakusa, are you okay?”

He didn’t answer.

(Sakusa ended up having to sit out for the rest of the event due to sudden illness.)

* * *

**EXTRA 1:**

Atsumu gaped at the sight before him. You were with Sakusa, using a tissue to wipe away some leftover makeup he failed to wash off. He really couldn’t believe it. 

“I need to find some lipstick!” Atsumu started to mess with his hair like crazy. To his dismay, all the cosmetics on the vanity tables were cleared out. “Now! Help me, Bokkun!”

“Whoa, Tsum-Tsum, you just washed up and we still have to—!”

“’Scuse me!” Atsumu called out to one of the makeup artists who was pulling away her train of cosmetics. She was startled by Atsumu’s sudden insistence. “Lipstick! Ya got any?”

Scared by his request, she nodded and quickly pulled out a small lipstick bullet. He shook her hands in gratitude and smiled in victory.

“This’ll do!” Atsumu exclaimed, ignoring Bokuto’s words. He quickly rubbed it on his thumb and then transferred it to the corner of his lips to make it look like a forgotten smudge, similar to the one Sakusa had on his face. When he handed the lipstick bullet back to the makeup artist, she gave him a worried expression. Bokuto shook his head. “Alright, now let’s—!”

“Oh, there you guys are!” Inunaki said, popping his head out from the corner. “I was looking everywhere for you two!

“Wan-san, we’re a lil busy at the moment…!”

Inunaki ignored what Atsumu said, instead focusing his attention on the obvious smudge Atsumu had intentionally placed at the corner of his lips.

“Atsumu, you have a little something…” Inunaki shook his head and let out a heavy sigh. He licked his thumb and then rubbed the lipstick away. “There, now c’mon guys! We need to line up for the handshake event.”

Bokuto swore he saw Atsumu’s figure crumble in disappointment.

* * *

**EXTRA 2:**

“And for the finale… we have the tally of the fan favorite for today’s event!” the MC called out into the mic. Everyone cheered and clapped in anticipation. He opened the envelope and read it, eyes widening in surprise. People sitting in the front row sat at the edge of their seats. “...Hinata Shouyou!”

Hinata flinched at the sound of his name. Fans started to cheer, a couple of girls even screamed his name and waved their fans in the air in an attempt to get Hinata to look their way. All the attention he received caught the other guys off guard. He shuffled to center stage and felt himself suddenly get bashful once he was handed the mic.

A feeling of satisfaction welled up within you.

You knew he was going to get popular.

* * *

**EXTRA 3:**

The photos from the fan appreciation event were well received online. People were going insane, sharing their own pictures and videos taken at the event. It was rather hilarious to go through your social feed.

> **@15sakusakfan:**
> 
> SAKUSA’S WAIST!!! THAT’S HOT. VERY HOT. I ENJOY. H…A…A… OOOO MAN… H…O…T…

> **@spiritb0mb:**
> 
> YOOOOOO!!! BOKUTO GOT CAKE!!!!! CAKE!! I want a slice of alladat deliciousness from mr athlete of the year!

> **@srintarou:**
> 
> Yikes, I’m sending this to Kita

You grinned while reading the comments.

Fan appreciation day was definitely a day you didn’t mind working.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're wondering what the bubbly dance routine the guys did looked like... [here's a video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OR51M4jrfLo&feature=youtu.be)! Yes, this is the dance the MSBY Black Jackals did for their fan appreciation day in the light novel. No, I am not making this up.
> 
> Nearly caught up from where we last left off! So excited to show y'all what I've got up my sleeves. Until then... 
> 
> Thanks for reading! Stay happy and healthy.
> 
> Peace.


	12. jackasuke falls flat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter inspiration comes from the 12th light novel.

“So… what do you think?” you asked, putting on the brightest, most innocent smile possible. “Feeling up to it?”

Your little act wasn’t working in the slightest. Meian tried his best to avoid eye contact, a look of discomfort obvious on his face. When you moved your head into his field of vision, he would focus his gaze in the opposite direction. He rubbed the back of his neck and allowed a sigh to escape from his lips.

“Sorry, it’s just that…” he began, trailing off as he started into space. Your request was a bit too much for him. “Wouldn’t it be better if you asked Bokuto to do this?”

Relaxing your shoulders and letting out a huff of hot air, you gave up trying to persuade him. This whole thing was starting to feel like a lost cause. “I thought that too, but my boss said not to ask him because he’s too popular with the kids. He thinks they’ll be disappointed if Bokuto isn’t ‘initially’ there.”

“What about Inunaki?”

You shook your head. “Flat out rejected me. Said it with a smile too.”

“Hinata?”

“I think he heard me ask Inunaki and he ran off before I got the chance to ask.”

“And I’m guessing Sakusa—”

“I didn’t even bother asking him,” you finished his sentence and ran a hand through your hair. There really was only one more person to ask now and he was a wild card. “Where’s Miya?”

“Locker room.” Meian jabbed his thumb over his shoulder. By now, the facility was nearly empty save for the few members who chose to do some extra practice. “You think he’ll agree to it?”

“He has to,” you said. “I don’t know what I’d do if he doesn't.”

Meian peeled himself off the wall he was leaning on and started to make his way to the exit. The zippers on his bag jangled as he left you behind. He waved a hand up and whistled out.

“Well, good luck with that!" he said over his shoulder. "I’m leavin’!”

“Hey! Can’t you at least help me convince—!”

“Aw, man, I’m already out the door!” Meian called out from where he stood, taking slow steps through the double doors. “I’ll talk to you later!”

And with those final words, he was gone. You pushed your back against the wall and sighed. The local recreation center was hosting a Children’s Day event with the MSBY Black Jackals volunteering and you were tasked with the impossible: convincing one of the members to act as Jackasuke for the day as a surprise for the kids. It was sad to say, but your entire day of cornering the guys and sweetly asking was filled with the bitter taste of rejection.

(“Inunaki!” you called out right as practice ended.

Upon hearing his name, Inunaki whipped his head in your direction and then smiled.

“What’s up?”

“Are you excited for this weekend? There's probably a ton of kids looking forward to meeting you guys at the rec center,” you said, starting conversation smoothly.

Inunaki nodded his head and patted his face with a towel. “Right, right. It’ll be a nice and easy day.”

“So… this weekend,” you started to fiddle with your fingers, nervous to ask.

He raised an eyebrow at how timid you were acting.

“You okay?”

“Y-Yeah! Fine. This weekend…” You took in a deep breath to calm yourself. This request really was one of the dumbest things your boss ever made you do. “Do you have any plans before the event?”

Inunaki raised an eyebrow. “No… why?”

You noticed a few guys on the court were staring at you and Inunaki. If they heard you asking him about the Jackasuke idea then they might all make a run for it before you got the chance to ask. Taking the initiative, you pulled Inunaki into a more secluded area.

Now, Inunaki was never one to make assumptions, but the way you were lugging him away from the others, stumbling over your words, and avoiding eye contact with him was leading his thoughts in one direction. When you stopped and peeked over your shoulder to check that no one followed, he couldn't help but notice (and overanalyze) the sigh of relief you let out.

“Inunaki, can you please promise me you won’t tell the other guys about this?” you asked. Your eyes were practically pleading with him.

_Oh God. It’s happening. It’s really happening. Here we go._

“Of course. I won’t tell anyone,” he replied. Now _he_ was having trouble looking you in the eyes. He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. “You can call me Shion if you want.”

“Oh. Okay. Um, Shion,” you cleared your throat and played with the pendant of your necklace, “I was wondering…”

_Yeah?_

“...If you would…”

_Uh huh._

“...Be willing…”

Inunaki stared in anticipation. Waiting for the words to leave your mouth was practically killing him. When you paused, he nodded his head for you to continue.

“...To wear the Jackasuke costume this weekend for Children’s Day?”

His limbs turned to stone and his eye twitched. This was _not_ what he was expecting. Not in the slightest. While you continued to ramble on about how wearing the suit wouldn’t be so bad, he tuned everything out and cursed himself for being a fool.

“So, are you up for it?”

He gave a strained smile.

“Nope, I’m fine. Thanks for offering, though.”)

Stuck in your thoughts, you tried to devise some sort of foolproof plan to get Atsumu to agree to your request. The other guys were quick to shut down your idea, saying that they wouldn’t even touch the mascot costume with a ten foot pole, but maybe if you sugarcoated your words a bit differently then you would get a satisfactory result.

The door to the locker room swung open and interrupted your pondering.

It was Atsumu. Just the guy you were waiting for. He leisurely walked out into the hall, his sports bag lazily swung over his shoulder. His hair was a little flat after practice and he yawned out in exhaustion. Once he noticed you, waiting by yourself and staring at him expectantly, he made his approach.

“Hey, shouldn’t ya have already gone home?” he asked, a bit worried. It was a valid concern. The training facility was nearly empty and it was going to be dark soon. “What’re ya still doin’ here?”

“Uh, I was waiting,” you truthfully answered. “For you.”

He stood dumbstruck at your words.

_“For me?”_

“Yeah,” you frowned when he started to squint his eyes at you, analyzing your every feature, “what’s up with that face?”

“You,” he circled the air in front of your body, “were waitin’ for,” he pointed to himself now, “me?”

You tried your best to not roll your eyes at how he was acting. “Yes, what’s so hard to understand about that?”

“[Name], are ya feelin’ sick?”

“What?” was all you could say as he tried to press his hand against your forehead. You slapped it away. “I’m not sick!”

“I’m just checkin’ on ya!” He held up both his hands in the air in surrender. “‘Sides, I saw you runnin’ around this whole day. More than usual.”

_Yeah, I was running around trying to get someone to agree to wear the Jackasuke costume,_ you grimaced inwardly. This entire day was starting to look like a big bust. With Atsumu in front of you, you decided to get straight to the point. There was no use in idling around.

“Mi—Atsumu,” you corrected yourself, clearing your throat. Under his gaze, you felt yourself grow more anxious. He was your last resort. Upon hearing his first name, Atsumu’s eyes widened. Something was definitely up in the air. He chose not to interrupt and instead waited for you to finish. “For Children’s Day this upcoming weekend… I don’t know if you heard, but the board thought it would be a really great idea to have one of the players dress up as Jackasuke and surprise the kids at the rec center mid-event. I really, _really_ think you’d do a great job as Jackasuke and it might sound crazy, but—”

“I’ll do it.”

His immediate answer caused you to trip over your words. While you were in your tongue-tied state, he grinned down at you and leaned forward.

“Was _that_ what you were waitin’ for? To ask me to wear the costume?”

You nodded your head. “Y-Yeah, I was—wait, are you serious right now? You know you can’t take it back once I walk out those doors!”

“Dead serious,” he chuckled out. Your flustered state was a rarity. “Kids love Jackasuke, right? And I like seein’ them happy. It’ll be a nice surprise.”

In a rush of excitement, you grabbed Atsumu’s hands into your own and sang your thanks to him, repeating over and over how you owed him and would find a way to make it up to him. He froze in place at your sudden affection, mind going blank, brain short circuiting as you continued to ramble on. Your lips were moving a mile a minute, but he couldn’t process any of the words coming out of your mouth. Once you were done, you let go of his hands, but he kept still like a statue.

“You there?” you asked him.

He stood still while you took a step closer to inspect his features. Donned on his face was a blank expression.

“Uh, yeah.” He blinked once. Twice. No, he absolutely was _not_ there _._ “I’m here.”

“Seriously, thank you for this,” you said when he settled back to reality. “I really thought no one would agree to wearing the mascot costume and I’d have to go back to the office tomorrow to tell my boss the bad news. You honestly saved me.”

Once his mind returned back to Earth, Atsumu shook his head and engaged in conversation again.

“Yanno, you should call me Atsumu more.” he said, interrupting your excited blabbering.

You took a second to pretend to think about it, tapping your index finger on your chin. “No, I don’t think I will.”

“C’mon! Ya said it once! Do it again!”

“You know I work for you guys, right?”

“It’s way past yer work hours.”

Continuing with your theatrics, you acted as if his request was a bother. With a deep sigh, you said, “Fine, I’ll say it one more time. Atsumu.” You turned to face him. “Happy now?”

He grinned. There was a bounce to his steps as you both started to make way to the exit doors. The way his name rolled off your tongue sounded nice to him.

“Very.”

* * *

Atsumu never really thought about what it was like underneath the mascot costume.

He knew Jackasuke was meant to pump up the crowd during games and interact with the fans while the players were on the court; truth be told, being Jackasuke looked like a lot of fun. After matches, he would always see Jackasuke surrounded by a hoard of people waiting to take a picture. Everyone, young and old, loved Jackasuke.

He figured Children’s Day at the rec center would be easy.

So _why_ was it anything but?

“Jackasuke!” a child no older than ten called out with a tilt of the head and arms crossed in front of his chest. He knew he was king today. “Bark for us!”

Inside the headpiece, Atsumu’s jaw dropped from the blatant disrespect. He couldn’t say anything (in fear of accidentally revealing himself too early in the day) and instead shook his head.

“C’mon, Jackasuke! Yer supposed to bark for us!”

Again, Atsumu silently declined. He tried to do a little dance, hoping it would appease the kids, but instead they started booing at him while tugging at the pants of his costume.

“C’mon, Jackasuke! Bark! Or howl! Or start yippin’ for us!”

“Yip, Jackasuke, yip!”

_“Arf!_ We wanna hear ya bark!”

“Don’t be borin’!”

This was his worst nightmare. It was completely different from his expectations for the day. He knew it was going to be a little hot in the costume, but never in his life did he expect to get bullied by a bunch of grade schoolers.

All the kids surrounded Atsumu, commanding him to do the most ridiculous things. It was as if they didn’t know there was a person behind the costume—to them, Jackasuke was nothing more than an oversized toy. Their pestering grew louder, the kids trying to talk over each other in hopes that he would actually follow through and howl for them. A pair of kids even tried to jump him from behind and rip off his headpiece, but they were, thankfully, too short to properly execute the act.

If he had known Jackasuke had it this rough, Atsumu never would have agreed to do this the other day. Another pair of kids tried to rip off his tail, but he jumped back before they could do it. Were kids always like this?

In panic, Atsumu turned towards where you and the other players were at. It was practically heaven in comparison to what he was going through. 

Stationed out on different courts throughout the large gym, the rest of the Black Jackals were guiding kids on the basics of volleyball. Inunaki was instructing the little ones on how to receive a ball, gently grabbing their arms into the proper position. Beside him was Hinata; after Inunaki gave the okay, he would toss a ball into the air for the kids to bump it up. The kids cheered in excitement whenever the ball got a nice arch near the net. Hinata and Inunaki reciprocated this cheerfulness by clapping and praising them on a job well done.

Similarly, Meian and Thomas were paired together to do a set-and-spike drill. The kids on their court were older than the bunch from before and had a bit more experience under the belts. When Meian threw the ball up, Thomas would set it up for them. After each hit, both pros would point out areas where improvement could be made. Their style of teaching was much more laid back and the kids waiting in line enjoyed the one-on-one attention.

All the way at the other end from where Atsumu was, Sakusa and Bokuto were taking a water break with their group of kids. Since it was downtime, you joined the two and took a few pictures of them interacting. Bokuto was the one leading the conversation, telling hilarious stories about his teammates and reenacting match highlights from memory. You swore you saw sparkles in some of the kids’ eyes as Bokuto enthusiastically shared his experiences in the professional world.

While Bokuto was speaking, Sakusa chose to hang back a bit. Being around people all the time exhausted him.

“Are you alright, Sakusa?” you asked as he leaned his back against the wall you were standing at. He nodded his head in response. Just tired, you guessed. “Well, we’re about halfway through the day. Hang in there for a couple more hours!”

“I don’t mind today too much,” he said, voice low. His eyes wandered away from the group of kids sitting in front of Bokuto and caught the attention of Atsumu from the other side of the courts. Atsumu was waving his arms in the air, making an “S.O.S” with his body which caused Sakusa to raise a brow. Then he saw two rowdy kids start to punch at his legs. Sakusa coughed to cover up his laughter. “Really, it isn’t any trouble.”

Your eyes followed to where Sakusa was staring at. 

“Wow, Miya must be so happy with all the attention he’s getting from the kids!” you said, watching the children circle around him. They were laughing and genuinely having a good time. From an outsider’s perspective, nothing initially seemed wrong. “I think he’s really playing Jackasuke’s part well, don’t you think?”

Sakusa, who had seen multiple kids kick at Atsumu’s shins, nodded in response. He was having a hard time resisting the urge to smile at his teammate’s misery.

“I think he’s doing a great job.”

“Right?” You turned to face him. “Do you think he’d want to do this again next year?”

With your eyes off of Atsumu, another kid stuck his tongue at him and tried to pants him. The handful of minions surrounding him followed suit. Even though he couldn’t see Atsumu’s face underneath the headpiece, Sakusa was sure he was muttering curses under his breath.

“Oh, absolutely.”

* * *

The day couldn’t have gone any slower for Atsumu. 

As he watched his teammates interact and have fun with the kids, Atsumu counted down each minute until he could get the hell out of his costume. He already knew his face was drenched from spending his time dodging all the kids’ attempts to de-head him. For the first couple of hours, he tried to send you multiple distress signals, but you had accidentally mistook them as jumps of excitement and merely smiled and waved at him in response.

When the first half of drills were finished for the day, Atsumu nearly cried out tears of joy. This was liberation. The whistle blow and halting of upbeat music gave him the strength to continue on with the event. When all the kids scattered away from him, he let out a sigh of relief. 

Mats were set up on the courts for the children to rest up during lunchtime. Once that was done, prepackaged meals donated by the team were passed around and the members of the MSBY Black Jackals sat themselves here and there, eating with the kids and enjoying the day.

When Atsumu saw you beckon for him across the court, he figured it was finally time to lose the outfit. Since he spent the better part of the day on his toes, he decided to take slow steps towards you, enjoying the moment of leisure without having to worry about getting jumped by some kids. 

Unfortunately, letting his guard down was _exactly_ what the kids were waiting for.

In a James Bond-esque manner, two kids no older than ten stealthily rolled on the ground and conducted a series of cartwheels until they were in reach of Atsumu. Since he was focused on making his way towards you, ready to change into his uniform, he didn’t notice them coming up from behind. The kids grabbed onto the tail of his costume and pulled as hard as possible. Atsumu lost his footing and, in an ungraceful manner, fell onto his back. His plummet was accompanied by the imaginary sounds of a violin concerto, his arms raised in front of him to only grab onto air as the melodies grew more intense. At the end of his descent, he let out a loud curse and heard the screams of children ricochet off the walls.

Opening his eyes, Atsumu found the lights were bright, almost blindingly so. His lips parted in realization. 

He turned his head and saw the little perpetrators holding up his headpiece like a trophy into the air, screaming out in victory as multiple other kids jumped up in exhilaration. All eyes were on him: some pitiful, some amused, some outright shocked.

Defeated, Atsumu simply pressed the back of his head against the ground and stared up at the ceiling in despair.

* * *

**EXTRA 1:**

“Don’tcha think Jackasuke’s actin’ kinda weird?” one girl pointed out as she stared at the mascot. Whoever was underneath it was trying _way_ too hard to mess with Sakusa.

“Yer right,” another kid added. “And they keep followin’ that one lady over there. Like a lost puppy or somethin’.”

The ringleader of the entire group silently stared at Jackasuke. Something definitely didn’t feel right. Jackasuke was a lot taller than he previously remembered. And this one was acting a bit too flamboyant.

“Ya think they put a celebrity underneath?”

Gasps sounded within the group. The kids huddled together, whispering amongst themselves so no one else would hear them.

“Maybe they got one of ‘em popular pretty boy band singers to come! They always do those sorta things for Children’s Day as a prank.”

“How ‘bout those celebrity chefs? Wait, that’d actually be kinda lame, if I’m bein’ honest.”

“I got it! Who’s the only one that ain’t here today from the Jackals?”

All their eyes sparkled. The first string setter was missing from today’s event and he was a fan favorite.

“Wait, but ain’t he sick?” the youngest girl said. “That’s what the staff members told my mama when she asked about him. She’s got a big crush on the guy.”

The ringleader tutted the group. “I’m bettin’ it’s him underneath there. They always do those sorta things to get us when we least expect it.”

“Uh huh, wanna bet it ain’t him?”

“We can figure it out right here and now!” The ringleader clapped his hands to call on the attention of his friends. The group perked up at what he had to say. “I don’t wanna wait until the very end when they reveal who it is.”

“What’re we gonna do?”

All the kids took a peek at Jackasuke. He was tailing after you, jumping up and down in the air in an attempt to make you laugh.

“Alright, here’s the plan…”

* * *

**EXTRA 2:**

He was a sad sight.

Alone in the hallway outside the double doors leading to the rec center courts sat Atsumu. Beside him on the bench was the Jackasuke headpiece. After the fiasco with the kids stealing away the mascot head, he promptly went to ruminate by himself. You felt rather sorry for him and decided that it would be best to try to cheer him up.

Approaching him, you noticed his hair was completely flat and his skin glistened from all the sweating he did in the Jackasuke uniform. You knew being the mascot was a difficult job. He had to deal with a lot of people, the stuffiness of the costume, and now the embarrassment of falling in front of everyone.

“Hey,” you said, voice soft. Except for the slight echoing from the chatter inside the court, there was barely another sound. It was just you and him. “You did a really great job today. Forgetting about the kids who took the mascot head, I think everyone had fun with you.”

He shuddered at how the kids treated him the entire day. “Let’s… not talk about it.”

“Alright, fine. I won’t say anything else about it.”

He grumbled under his breath. Guess it bothered him a lot more than you thought.

“Hey, Miya, keep still for a second.” You pulled out a handkerchief from your pocket and then leaned in a bit closer to him. With a light touch, you dabbed the sweat off his forehead. “Gross, you’re so sweaty.”

You weren’t sure if it was because of the heat of his costume, but his face was an obvious flush of red.

“Hey, yanno I’m sweaty ‘cause of—!”

“I know,” you cut him off, still drying his face. “And I appreciate it. A lot.”

Atsumu’s face got a little bit redder.

(And it definitely wasn’t because of the mascot costume.)

* * *

**EXTRA 3:**

“Is that… Atsumu?” Hinata asked, pointing to your phone. He squinted his eyes and leaned over your shoulder to get a better look at the screen. After consoling Atsumu, you went back into the courts and enjoyed the lunch period with Hinata by your side.

“Yeah, it is!” You positioned your phone so Hinata could see clearly. “Pretty cute, right?”

“When was this…?”

You grinned as you looked at your home screen. “Do you remember the QG party?”

“The one with him getting really drunk?”

You nodded your head. “Yep, he was plastered… Well, after he ruined my heels, Miya ended up knocked out the entire night. Bokuto watched over him for most of it, but when it was time to hand out the awards for the Men of the Year categories he asked me to take care of him for a bit.”

“So you took this picture that night?”

“I just couldn’t help myself. I mean, look at him! He’s sleeping like a baby.” In the picture, Atsumu had his eyes shut, head resting on your lap with his mouth wide open. There was a line of drool escaping from the corner of his lips. Your phone was positioned at an angle to include your smiling face as you posed with a peace sign. It was such a contrast to his usual “cool guy” appearance he tried to put up when the cameras were around him. “I think this makes us even after he ruined my shoes.” You grimaced at the memory, but then straightened up at the realization of Hinata knowing about your phone wallpaper. “Don’t tell him about this—just keep it a secret between you and me, okay?” 

“Alright,” he threw his head back and laughed. “I won’t tell anyone!”

* * *

**EXTRA 4:**

Late in the evening, Atsumu’s phone rang out once. Twice. He tried to ignore it, but after the third successive chime he got too annoyed and checked his messages. It was his brother. Exhausted from the events earlier in the day, he squinted his eyes at the screen.

> **OSAMU:**
> 
> _Video attachment_
> 
> Hey scrub
> 
> Lookin' real cool

Atsumu choked on his spit as he watched the video play. It was him. Falling in the Jackasuke costume. Edited in slow motion. He was flabbergasted that someone even recorded the entire fiasco and decided to include instrumentals and other video effects to heighten the cinematic experience.

Too tired to even call up his brother to yell at him, Atsumu buried his face into his pillow and let out a curse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnnnnnnnnnd we're all caught up now! Stellar! Can't wait to share the new chapter with you guys tomorrow! I think y'all will enjoy it.
> 
> Thanks for reading! Take care of yourselves during this time.
> 
> Peace.


	13. bokuto's interview

It would be accurate to say your day was off to a rough start.

After traveling to Tokyo for the better part of yesterday, you were thoroughly exhausted. The start of the new V. League season was set for later in the week with the Jackals playing against the Adlers in Sendai and, due to scheduling setbacks with nearby practice facilities, you and the rest of the team had to stay in Tokyo for a brief layover before making it to the Miyagi prefecture.

Now, the long hours of traveling wasn’t the entire reason your day started off on a bad foot.

It began with an early morning meeting—one you were _almost_ late to because your phone alarm failed to ring as it was (apparently) set up incorrectly the night before. Then, to make things worse, your online meeting continued over the scheduled time by fifteen minutes. The cherry on top was your boss noticing the bags underneath your eyes and asking if the trip to Tokyo was a rough one. You forced a plastic smile and politely answered him as if you didn’t want to slam your laptop shut the minute he opened his mouth.

You were normally a punctual individual. Always one to arrive to a meeting at least fifteen minutes early, hot coffee in your hands from a local café sheathed with a double sleeve to avoid burning your fingers; always one to send in your work hours before a deadline; always one to look prim and proper because you liked to show to the world that you cared about how you presented yourself.

But right now, you were the complete opposite this image.

Fumbling with your bag, you did a quick rummage through to see if you had everything to go about the rest of your day: wallet, phone, ID, cash, pens, notebook. All necessities were checked off your list. The only thing you couldn’t account for was your appearance for the day. You looked like a train wreck. It couldn’t be helped.

Entering the lobby, you did a scan of the floor. Other hotel guests were scattered about, some sitting on the lounge seats, others standing around in the midst of making last minute day plans. Once you found the man of the hour, you smoothed your shirt as a last minute attempt to look somewhat presentable and took rushed steps.

“Bokuto,” you said, approaching the star player. At the sound of your voice, he looked up from his phone and smiled, acknowledging your presence. “Sorry to keep you waiting. I really didn’t think my boss would hold me back for so long.”

“You’re good!” he replied as he pocketed his phone. When he stood up, he took a closer look at your face, his brows furrowing together. “Are you okay? You look kinda tired.”

You held up your hands and gave a nervous chuckle as he leaned in to get a closer look at your face.

“I’m fine! Really,” you said as you started to walk towards the entrance. “I woke up a little bit late, that’s all. Maybe we can talk about it later.”

Bokuto titled his head like he didn’t believe you, but instead of hounding you with more questions, he simply shrugged his shoulders and followed your lead. Outside the hotel, a line of vacant taxis were parked in front, ready to take in anyone wanting to explore the city. The first driver you made eye contact with motioned his hands in between you and him, silently asking if you’d like a ride. You nodded and he held the door open for you and Bokuto to slide inside the back.

Staying the next few days in Tokyo, Bokuto received an amazing opportunity: a short interview with Shonen Bounce’s publishing company for an athletic spread. He had a friend working there and, after hearing that the team was going to be in the city, was able to arrange a short meeting. You were scheduled to accompany Bokuto during his interview as well as take a few shots to save for the future publication.

With such a small time slot for the meeting, you didn’t want to be late for it. Not only would it be rude, but being late would also mean that the interview might be cut short. Under normal circumstances, you never would have taken a cab, but if you wanted to make it on time it really was your only option.

Soon after you and Bokuto buckled up, the driver’s side of the cab swung open. An older man settled into the leather seat and adjusted his rearview mirror.

“So, kids, where to?” he asked enthusiastically, voice containing a scratch that one could only get from chain smoking at a young age. His face was tanned and he showcased deep dimples when he smiled. “Date in Roppongi?”

“No, no, you’ve got it wrong,” you laughed into your hand as the driver chuckled. Digging into your bag, you pulled out a business card and handed it to him. “We actually need to go to the Shueisha Building in Chiyoda. The address is on the card.”

He whistled as his eyes skimmed the small piece of paper.

“Sounds like a business trip,” he said, maintaining polite conversation while tapping on his GPS. A soft _ding!_ sounded out and a feminine voice began giving instructions. “Looks like it’ll take us a little over twenty minutes to get there.”

You beamed. Twenty minutes to make it to the publishing office meant that you and Bokuto would be early to the interview by ten minutes.

“That’s perfect!”

The cab driver spun the steering wheel and began making his way onto the main road. He merged into the line of cars on the street and silently grunted when the light turned red. Waiting in silence, he spoke up again.

“So… someone here a mangaka?”

“No, we’re getting a quick interview for this guy,” you jabbed your thumb in Bokuto’s direction, “he’s going to be featured in an athletic spread for a future publication.”

He hummed aloud, bobbing his head to show that he was listening as he focused his gaze on the road. “Sounds interesting. What sport d’ya play, kid?”

“Volleyball!” Bokuto joined in on the conversation. He smiled brightly and leaned forward while speaking, grabbing onto the front passenger’s headrest. “I’m an outside hitter. You play?”

The cab driver rubbed the back of his neck and shook his head.

“I’ll admit, I don’t really know too much about volleyball,” he laughed and turned to a different road when the light turned green. Bokuto’s face fell, but he waited for him to finish. “Truth be told, I was more into tennis as a kid and I played for my school. Volleyball wasn’t really popular when I was younger too: all the really cool kids played basketball or tennis. I mean, there was this manga that came out called _The King of Tennis_ and”—he adjusted the rearview mirror and stopped talking for a moment—"hey, is he okay? He looks kinda sick or something.”

You turned and immediately noticed a dejected air emitting out of Bokuto. His lips were pouted and his shoulders slumped. He looked heartbroken. As a means to comfort him, you gave a light pat on the back.

“Y-Yeah! He’s fine,” you sent a reassuring smile directed to the rearview mirror. “He just gets… a little car sick! Nothing big.”

The cab driver didn’t look like he believed you, but he chose not to question it. Instead, he pointed at the radio.

“You two mind if I play some music?”

“We don’t mind!” you said, trying to keep chipper.

The silence between you three was soon replaced with light 80’s pop music. Melodies hummed out from the radio in front and the cab driver following along, mumbling the lyrics as he focused on the roads. You took a peek outside the window and noted the hordes of people, some in traditional wear and others in modern attire, with shopping bags around their arms. Even for a weekday, the streets of Tokyo were quite busy—to be expected from the capital city.

“So,” you cleared your throat and turned to Boktuo, “do you have any plans these next few days? Tokyo’s where you grew up, right?”

He quickly snapped out of his funk and nodded his head.

“Yeah! I’ve got a couple of friends still staying here, so I’m going to visit them along with my family,” Bokuto replied, admiring the view out the window. “Hey, you know what would be fun? A tour of Tokyo!”

“Huh?”

“I’m serious!” He chuckled and whipped his head around to face you. “This interview probably isn’t gonna take too long and I’ve got _tons_ of places I wanna go to, but Tsum-Tsum and Hinata and all of ‘em said they’re too tired to go tonight!”

Chattering excitedly, Bokuto leaned in closer to your personal space. The cab was already small, so there wasn’t much room between you two to start with. He didn’t even notice your flustered state as he was too enthusiastic about what he was going to do during his free time.

You nervously rubbed the back of your neck. “Um, are you sure? I don’t want to take up your time or anything since you’re going to have an interview today.”

“Positive!” Boktuo pulled out his phone and went through his photo album. After finding the picture he wanted, he showed you the screen. “I _really_ wanna go to this izakaya in Shinjuku! Doesn’t the meat here look good? I was _soooo_ jealous when Aka—I mean, my friend sent this to me!”

On the screen of his phone was a professional-grade looking photo of skewered meat. Even though there was low lighting, the oils on each piece glistened and steam curled into the air to give a mouthwatering appeal.

“It does look good,” you muttered, eyes glued to his screen. That meat did all the convincing. “Okay, if we can get out of this interview early then I’ll join you.”

“All right!” He cheered and clapped his hands together. “I’ll show you the best spots! There’re lots of good hole-in-the-wall restaurants here, but sometimes they’re a bit further out.” He made a fist with his hand and shook it in front of his face, pleased with himself. “Man, the other guys are gonna miss out!”

“They sure will,” you replied. “And here I thought everyone would hop on the chance to explore the city since we don’t usually make stops like this before games.”

“That’s what I thought too! But Tsum-Tsum said he wanted to relax during the day and call his brother at night. Same with Hinata, but he wanted to condition in the evening with Wan-san and Adriah!”

“And what about Sakusa?” you asked, trying hard not to giggle. He was getting pretty worked up over this.

“He went to visit his family already. I asked if he was busy and he texted back that he was going to be out for the entire day,” Bokuto crossed his arms in front of his chest, clearly upset. “They better not act jealous when I send them a bunch of pictures of us hanging out tonight!”

You stifled a laugh into your hand and shook your head. “We’ll explore the entire city, that’ll make them really jealous.”

“Exactly! I’ll be sure to send Tsum-Tsum lots of pictures!”

“That’ll teach him a lesson,” you joked around. It was at that moment you noticed the shops and restaurants outside were the same ones from minutes ago. Concerned, you focused your attention back on the taxi driver. “Excuse me, is there something wrong with the road ahead? We haven’t moved in some time.”

The cab driver turned down the volume from the radio and waved a hand to signal that everything was fine.

“Nothing wrong! Just the parade,” he replied and hummed along to the music again. He didn’t look the least bit worried. “A couple roads ahead are blocked off which is why the traffic’s worse than it usually is.”

_“Parade?”_ you repeated, confused beyond belief. Was there a national holiday you completely forgot about? “For what?”

“Tokyo Jidai Matsuri, of course!” The cab driver looked especially proud now, turning the radio off and twisting his body around to face you and Bokuto. His eyes glistened, life sparking at the mere mention of the event. “Every year in Asakusa, a festival is held to celebrate the history of Tokyo. There’s lots of good food, souvenirs to bring back to your loved ones, and the atmosphere’s amazing… especially at night! People love going out when all the lanterns are lit—it’s perfect for dates!”

You blinked twice at his animated response. The other cars on the street were at a standstill as well, the drivers scrolling through their phones and even closing their eyes as they waited. It didn’t look like you guys were going to be moving for a while.

“Oh yeah! I almost forgot about that,” Bokuto balled his fists in the air and leaned forward, interested in what the old man said. He turned to you, excitement glinting his eyes. “We should hit up Asakusa tonight!”

“That… sounds like a lot of fun,” you said, trying to maintain your pleasantries. The pain in your voice was plain as day. “How long do you think it’ll take to get to the Shueisha building with the parade and all?”

He hummed and took a second to think. “Probably forty minutes to an hour depending on how many volunteers they have this year, but at least now you have a front row seat of Tokyo’s best parade!”

You felt the sudden urge to throw up.

_“Forty minutes?”_ you mumbled under your breath.

“Hey, are you okay?” Bokuto asked, trying to get a good look at your face. “You don’t look too good right now.”

“We’re going to be late to your interview,” you had your head in your hands now. There was no way you two were going to make it on time. The taxi was stuck along with all the other cars on the road and it was _just_ your luck that the parade blocked the route to the office. “Ugh, I’m so sorry about this Bokuto; this is going to look bad for you…”

Unable to make eye contact with him, you started to search through your phone for other route options. In the beginning, you chose a cab because it would be the fastest. Subways weren’t as convenient with the wait time, but now you were regretting your decision. You cursed the parade and all it stood for as you tried to find a solution. The entire time, Bokuto stared at your sorry state, eyes full of pity.

Then he did the unexpected.

“Thanks for the ride, we’re getting off here!” Bokuto exclaimed as he unbuckled his seatbelt and opened the door by himself in a rush. He hopped out into the street, leaving you and the cab driver to stare at him in shock.

You froze in your seat for a second before digging into your bag for your wallet to pay for the cab. Mind in a frenzy, you practically threw the bills at the man and scrambled out of the car.

“What’re you doing, Bokuto!”

He stood tall in the middle of the street and squinted his eyes at the other cars stuck in traffic ahead of where you two stood. His hand acted as a visor to block out the sunlight as he scanned in the direction of the parade.

“You said you didn’t wanna be late, right?” he asked.

“I mean… yeah, but what now?” Words failed you at the moment as you tried to understand Bokuto’s thought process. “It’ll take a lot longer to walk around the parade… and if we wanted to use the subway we’d need to find the nearest station!”

He rubbed his chin, the gears in his head spinning. “We just need to get on the other side…?”

“Yeah? The Shueisha building is in Chiyoda which is further down that way,” you said and pointed over at the parade. Even from where you were standing you could hear an orchestra of traditional music blast out. “Maybe we can find—"

It only took a single second to knock the wind out of your lungs. Unable to finish your sentence, Bokuto grabbed onto your wrist and started to make a break for it down the street, dragging you along with him towards the parade. You nearly tripped over your feet and had to clutch your bag against your chest to avoid losing anything.

“Let’s go!” he yelled out, running at top speed. It was a war cry.

“Bokuto, wait!” you screamed out, but this didn’t stop him.

Horns blared out as you sprinted down the road behind him; a couple angry drivers stuck their heads out and yelled profanities directed at you two for running through traffic. The entire ordeal was mortifying to say the least.

And, unfortunately, things continued to get worse.

With each step, you kept getting closer and _closer_ to the parade, all the volunteers in their ornate traditional garb were no longer dots in the distance; you could make out the intricate details on their costumes and hair accessories worn, but you definitely didn’t have the chance to admire it as pure horror shot through your veins.

“Bokuto, _please!_ Let’s not do this!” you shouted, still running along due to his iron grip on your wrist.

Pleading with him was useless—the adrenaline coursing through his body rendered him unable to hear.

It was a doomed fate.

_“Excuse us!_ Coming through! Sorry, it’s important business!” Bokuto waved his free arm like a madman as he yelled at the top of his lungs, alerting anyone within a 20 foot radius of him to get out of the way.

And, like the Red Sea, the spectators parted, leaving a crossing big enough for you and Bokuto to run through. Each step was like a death sentence and you couldn’t stop running as you were practically being forced to follow Bokuto at this point.

There was no going back now.

You and Bokuto cut across the parade and onto the other side of the road, weaving around the small group of dancers who stood frozen as they watched you two. Even the volunteers with instruments stopped playing to get a good look. Kids pointed at you with their mouths hung open.

As you ran, you could hear gasps and laughs and hollers at the sheer absurdity of the situation. In a sad attempt to save face, you ducked your head down and stared at Bokuto’s feet. The entire situation was humiliating.

The only positive was that the run across lasted for a handful of seconds. Bokuto finally let go of your wrist once you two made it to the other side of the parade. He let out a content sigh as he placed his hands on his hips and tilted his head back, soaking in the sunlight.

“Now let’s go find another cab and make it to that interview!” He laughed and turned in your direction. Upon seeing your fatigued stated, he sent a smile and a thumbs up. “You did great! We’re totally gonna make it on time!”

Sweat cascaded the side of your face, dripping onto the sidewalk. At his words, you shook your head and clutched your chest. This moment was going to haunt you for the rest of your life.

Well, at least you two weren’t going to be late.

* * *

**EXTRA 1:**

“Wow, it’s pretty nice outside. Perfect for a day off, don’t you think?” Udai mused as he looked out the window. The skies were clear with the exception of a few white clouds. For a November day, the temperature wasn’t too frigid either. “Isn’t there a festival happening in Asakusa today?”

“Yes, there is,” Akaashi replied. He sat across from Udai, flipping through the rough draft of his newest storyboard. With the end of his series nearing, Akaashi noticed a few rushed points and made sure to write down any inconsistencies in his notepad for later revision. “Perhaps we can go when we finish the upcoming interview. We’re lucky Bokuto and his team are staying in Tokyo for a short while before going to Sendai. Otherwise we might not have been able to reserve this time to meet with him.”

Udai nodded his head, letting out a hum in agreement. His eyes wandered to his messy manuscripts and allowed himself a small smile. The end of one creative endeavor meant the start of another. He had a vague idea of the story he wanted to tell; something that made him nostalgic about his high school days, but there was a roadblock in the way. 

Tired of thinking, Udai pulled his phone out of his pocket and opened up a news portal. Sometimes the day’s events offered the best inspiration.

His eyes widened at the most recent headline.

“Akaashi, look at this,” Udai said between laughs.

The look of genuine joy on Udai’s face was one Akaashi hadn’t seen in a long time. He raised a brow, put his pen down, and leaned across the table to get a better look at Udai’s phone.

His lips parted in shock.

There, in big bold letters, was a news article about Bokuto causing a disruption at the Tokyo Jidai Matsuri parade. The video attached to the report played Boktuo doing a straight shot run while dragging another—rather reluctant looking—person along with him.

“That’s—”

He couldn’t even finish his sentence before the door from the other end of the hall burst open.

_“We’re here!”_

“—Bokuto…”

* * *

**EXTRA 2:**

“Excuse me, Udai?” you approached him, hyper-aware of your words.

Udai looked up from his mess of work. Scribbles detailing the final handful of chapters for his current series were sprawled on every open space of the desk.

“Yes?”

You nervously fiddled with the small graphic novel in your hands. Udai immediately noticed the art and straightened up. “Do you… mind signing my copy of Zombie Knight Zom’bish?”

_Huh?_

“I really love the story and when I heard you wanted to meet with Boktuo I was so excited!” you spoke more animatedly this time, holding the manga in front of him to showcase the cover. It was the first volume of Zombie Knight Zom’bish.

He blinked in disbelief.

_Excited?_

“The characterization along with the last arc you wrote was just…” you waved hands in fast circles, unable to accurately articulate your feelings to him. He stared at you, completely still. Tears formed in the corners of his eyes. “…Amazing! I’ve never—are you okay?”

Udai sniffled into the sleeve of his sweater. He nodded his head, his eyes shut closed. “I’m fine—please, keep going…”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” You gently put the manga back into your bag and paid closer attention to his emotional state. “You’re crying.”

“He’s fine,” Akaashi said, approaching you two and dropping a mountain of papers on Udai’s desk. “He’s just overwhelmed right now.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to add onto your already large pile of work,” you mumbled out.

“Wait, that’s not—”

“Good luck with the last chapters! I can’t wait to read them!” you said, turning back to the exit where Bokuto was waiting. “And we look forward to seeing you two at the game this weekend!”

_No, come back! Please!_

“Udai, let’s go back and fix up these panels,” Akaashi said. He thumbed through the first couple of pages in the stack. “There’s a lot we need to talk about with regards to dialogue and the climax of the story. Since today’s interview took a bit longer than predicted, we may need to stay back an extra hour in order to finalize everything. Apologies, but we’re not going to go to Asakusa tonight.”

Udai’s shoulders dropped as he let out the longest sigh in human history.

* * *

**EXTRA 3:**

After a long day of travel, your body craved sleep. Traveling from Osaka to Tokyo exhausted you. Already in your pajamas, you sat on your bed and did one last check for your messages and emails. Nothing new or urgent in your inbox.

The moment you were about to set your phone on the nightstand, two notifications popped up at the top of your screen.

> **ATSUMU:**
> 
> hey
> 
> you up?

For a moment, you pondered whether or not you should answer.

> **YOU:**
> 
> About to go to sleep
> 
> What is it? 

His answer was almost instantaneous.

> **ATSUMU:**
> 
> nothing much
> 
> bokkun wanted to watch a movie together
> 
> so he’s up
> 
> which means i’m up too

> **YOU:**
> 
> I almost forgot that you’re rooming with him
> 
> What movie?

> **ATSUMU:**
> 
> avengers infinity war

> **YOU:**
> 
> Oh, I really like that one
> 
> You know the next movie’s said to come out in a year
> 
> People online think it’s going to be called “endgame” from what Dr. Strange said
> 
> After Thanos got the time stone
> 
> Wait, shouldn’t you go to bed soon too?
> 
> I don’t want to keep you up

> **ATSUMU:**
> 
> we’re almost done
> 
> bokkun’s excited lol
> 
> you like marvel?

> **YOU:**
> 
> Yeah! I love it
> 
> The movies are really good
> 
> Everything ties back together and the production is always high quality
> 
> It’s so fun to watch
> 
> Sorry, I sort of rambled there

> **ATSUMU:**
> 
> I don’t mind

> **YOU:**
> 
> You should pay attention to the movie
> 
> Or you’ll make Bokuto upset
> 
> I’m going to bed now

> **ATSUMU:**
> 
> no he’s fine
> 
> too busy crying about tony
> 
> hey you busy tomorrow?

> **YOU:**
> 
> Kinda
> 
> Meeting in the morning and Bokuto’s got an interview

> **ATSUMU:**
> 
> alright
> 
> i’ll leave you alone

> **YOU:**
> 
> Thanks
> 
> Don’t stay up too late

> **ATSUMU:**
> 
> I won’t
> 
> night <3
> 
> ^ that heart right there?
> 
> that’s for you

> **YOU:**
> 
> Okay stop

> **ATSUMU:**
> 
> <3

> **YOU:**
> 
> Enough

> **ATSUMU:**
> 
> it’s cute
> 
> c’mon I know you like it

> **YOU:**
> 
> Ugh please

A minute passed before you typed your next message, thumb hovering over the send button.

> **YOU:**
> 
> Goodnight, Atsumu
> 
> :)

Turning your phone off and placing it on the nightstand, you huddled underneath the blanket and shut your eyes. For some reason, the feeling of fatigue disappeared.

* * *

**EXTRA 4:**

Long past the dinner hour, Atsumu’s eyes lingered on the vacant bed in his hotel room. He remembered Bokuto saying he was going out tonight, but how long was it going to take him? Despite his usual wacky antics, Boktuo was rather responsible and took great consideration into taking care of his body. Worried, Atsumu grabbed his phone to shoot a text.

> **ATSUMU:**
> 
> hey bokkun
> 
> where are you?
> 
> it’s kind of late

> **BOKUTO:**
> 
> Asakusa
> 
> Ate tendon!
> 
> _Photo attachment_

Bokuto’s reply was fast. Like he was waiting for Atsumu to text him. The picture sent was a close up shot of a bowl of rice, freshly fried tempura sitting atop of it along with a garnish of chopped lotus root and nori.

> **ATSUMU:**
> 
> oh
> 
> looks good

> **BOKUTO:**
> 
> _Photo attachment_
> 
> With [Name]
> 
> it’s really fun here!

Atsumu’s eyes bulged out. He read the text message once, twice, a third time and then stared in disbelief at the second picture. You were sitting across from Bokuto, smiling while waving a hand to the camera. A bowl of tempura over rice sat in front of you, as well as an additional serving placed in the middle of the table. Even with the low lighting, Atsumu could tell you were genuinely enjoying yourself.

> **ATSUMU:**
> 
> wait
> 
> what
> 
> bokkun!
> 
> why didn't you invite me?!

> **BOKUTO:**
> 
> I did
> 
> I asked you if you wanted to hang out tonight but you said you were busy
> 
> we can hang out tomorrow if you want!
> 
> _Photo attachment_
> 
> We got dessert too!
> 
> Yummmm

> **ATSUMU:**
> 
> dude!
> 
> are you kidding me
> 
> i’m on my way
> 
> stay where you are

> **BOKUTO:**
> 
> Huh? We’re going back to the hotel now
> 
> It’s kind of late
> 
> What’s gotten into you
> 
> wait
> 
> Ohhhhhhh

A bubble with three dots appeared, disappeared, and appeared again.

> **BOKUTO:**
> 
> _Photo attachment_
> 
> Don’t worry!
> 
> We’re just hanging out as friends
> 
> You’ll get your shot too one day!

The last picture Bokuto sent was a selfie with you by his side. He was grinning, doing a thumbs up to the camera and over exaggerating a wink while you gave a peace sign. You looked a little caught off guard, but nevertheless smiled as you usually would for a picture.

Completely devastated, Atsumu buried his face into his pillow.

He should have joined Bokuto to hang out in Tokyo.

* * *

**EXTRA 5:**

The old cab driver was right. Asakusa was beautiful in the evening.

String lanterns decorated the traditional awnings of the many restaurants and shops lining the street leading up to the Sensou-ji temple. With the addition of all the festivities, the district was bustling with people. The outdoor dining area was full of patrons enjoying their meals; the loud sizzle of the grills mixed in with drunk laughter and bits of lighthearted conversation could be heard over the generic pop music being played.

As a last minute spur-of-the-moment decision, you and Bokuto decided to hang around Asakusa for dinner instead of going to the izakaya he mentioned before. It wasn’t as busy as the other spots in Tokyo which you were thankful for, but there was still a liveliness to it all.

“Thanks for showing me around today, Bokuto,” you said, sticking close to him so he could hear what you had to say. “It was a lot of fun! The other guys really are missing out.”

He grinned at you, pleased by your words. “No problem! It’s always fun hanging around in the city, right?” He paused and then quickly turned his body to face you. His brows were knitted together. “I’ve been meaning to ask: was everything alright in the morning? You looked really exhausted! I almost forgot.”

Your eyes widened for a split second at his concern. Then you laughed into your hand. It was amazing he even remembered such a small detail.

“It’s nothing too big. Just a conference with my boss to talk about next year’s contract,” you said, rubbing your hands together to keep warm. “Work things.”

“Oh! You’re working again with us for the next season? That’s awesome!” Bokuto cheered, patting you on the shoulder in praise.

“Actually, it’s not that…”

“Hm?

You stopped walking and contemplated whether or not you should actually say it. After your internal debate, you bit the bullet. He was going to find out sooner or later.

“Bokuto, can you keep a secret?” you asked.

His ears perked up at this and he nodded his head, excited about what you were going to tell him.

“Yeah! What is it? I won’t tell anyone, you can trust me!” Bokuto smiled, coaxing you to continue. “My lips are zipped.”

You took in a deep breath. He was going to be the first one on the team to know. With great resolve, you stared him in the eyes to deliver the news.

“This will be my last season working with you guys.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tokyo Jidai Matsuri is a cultural festival meant to celebrate the city's history. It's held yearly in Asakusa and many people flock to the area to have fun (parade, food, shopping, you name it). Also, the restaurant I had our manager and Bokuto eat at was inspired by Tempura Nakasei, a real place in Asakusa! Shueisha Inc. is one of the major publishing companies in Japan... well known for its Weekly Shonen Jump (in this fic, Shonen Bounce) publication. I felt like if I used a placeholder for it then it might be a little awkward/not translate very well, so I kept it as is.
> 
> Did you guys expect that ending to happen? I feel so bad, but at the same time... surprise!
> 
> Thanks for reading! I hope you guys are staying happy and healthy. Final chapter for this series will be uploaded on Friday (1/8) at 8PM CST.
> 
> Peace.


	14. the perfect set up

It was the beginning of the end.

Kamei Arena Sendai, the venue for today’s match against the Schweiden Adlers, buzzed with elation. Game days were always hectic—in person _and_ online. At the current moment, all your social feeds were blowing up with excitement, the fans ready to take revenge for the start of the new V. League season.

Inside a nearly empty corridor leading out to the main court, you could hear the volume level increase as time passed, the seats in the arena filling out. People of all ages were ready for the big showdown. Venue staff scurried back and forth, making sure any lighting, camerawork, and court specifics were all checked and ready before cue. Seeing everyone work so hard gave you last minute jitters. Even if this was your last season, there would be no slacking on your part.

Not one to dwell on bittersweet feelings, you decided to walk off your nerves before the start of the game. A few other staff members rushed past you, some even greeting you in the process of carting off towels and bottles to the court, too busy to even take a break. 

As you continued down, the sound of the crowd disappeared, replaced with the clacking of the heels of your shoes against the tile floor. Your fingers fidgeted with the plastic of your lanyard as you cleared your thoughts. The hallway was devoid of people. 

That was, until you turned the corner.

“Meian?” you said as you approached him. He stood with his back against the wall, seeming to have some sort of existential crisis at the moment as he stared into space with a blank expression. “Are you alright? Do you need a trainer or something?”

At the sound of your voice, he snapped out of his trance and turned his head in your direction. His skin was pale and he stared at you as if you were a ghost from the past. 

“Is… is it true?”

Not understanding what he meant, you took a step forward and tilted your head in concern. “Excuse me? Is what true?”

“You’re really leaving?” he elaborated, brows knitted together as he waited for your answer.

Oh. 

You let out a heavy sigh and rubbed the area between your brows as you stared at the ground. Leave it to Bokuto to spill the beans during locker room gossip on game day. You hoped he would have kept it between you two until you guys got back to Osaka, but it must’ve slipped out through idle conversation. In the back of your mind, you imagined Bokuto getting interrogated by the rest of the members as all hell broke loose, the guys putting him into a chokehold until he further explained.

“Yeah, once this season is over then my contract with this team is finished,” you answered truthfully. Everyone was going to find out sooner or later anyway. Might as well come clean. “It feels a little weird to say it aloud. After all, I’ve been with you guys for nearly two years.”

He ran a hand through his hair and down the base of his neck, massaging it to relieve himself of the tension. 

“You’re telling me. And I had to find out through _Bokuto_ of all people,” he said. The color was starting to come back to his face. “You know, he was telling us all about his tempura the other night and suddenly he blurted out ‘I can’t believe that might be my last time eating out with [Name]!’ We thought you were terminally ill or something.”

“‘Terminally ill’?” You couldn’t but laugh. “I’m not dying or anything. That’s the worst possible outcome.”

“Well, did management offer you a chance to renew?”

“...They did.”

“And you chose not to?”

You nodded your head. “I know. Sounds crazy because these past two years have been a lot of fun, but I feel like I need to settle down. I’ve been thinking about it for a while and I thought now was the right time.”

Meian crossed his arms in front of his chest, smiling playfully. It was a complete contrast to his paling dissociated figure from a few minutes ago. “So you found a new job? Couldn’t wait to leave us so soon?”

“Oh, totally,” you said, sarcasm coated your words like honey. “I mean, after all the madness I’ve been through from working with you guys, like my shoes getting thrown up on by Miya, the Tokyo Matsuri Jidai parade incident, Sakusa’s commercial shoot… I need to get out of here before wrinkles start popping up…” 

At this point, Meian was starting to look a little hurt. He knew the younger guys of the team were a handful, but were they really that bad to make you want to quit? You threw your head back in laughter and waved a hand in the air to signal you were done joking.

“I’m kidding. I found a content marketing position for an athletic apparel company, applied, did a few interviews and got the job. Their main office is in Tokyo, so I’m going to have to make a few rounds over there during the year.”

Meian placed a hand over his heart and let out a pained sigh. “First you quit and then you move to Tokyo? It’s like you want nothing to do with us.”

“I’m not moving to Tokyo!” you said. There was no way you could move there. Osaka was where you felt most at home; you couldn’t say goodbye to all your family, friends and memories so soon. “They have a smaller office located in Osaka, so I won’t have to make a big move.” In an attempt to lighten the atmosphere, you playfully nudged him with your elbow. “Why’re you asking all this? Shouldn’t you be more focused on your match tonight? We’ve got an hour until it starts.”

“The rest of the guys are relaxing and doing their usual pre-game rituals. You know how it is.” He shook his head. Some of the guys on the team couldn’t sit still even if their life depended on it. “Besides, I was just wondering. It’s a good thing you’ll still be in the city.”

Curious, you nudged him to continue on. “And why’s that?”

“You know who would be complaining nonstop if you left Osaka?”

In the back of your mind, you had a vague idea of who he was hinting at, but instead of taking a guess, you kept quiet and allowed yourself a small smile that barely went unnoticed. 

Meian, the team captain and one of the oldest of the bunch, had often been subjected to Atsumu’s long winded spiels ranging from his blunders to further developments in your relationship with him. If you up and left without another word, he was sure Atsumu would be whining about until the end of the century.

(“I didn’t mean to drool all over [Name]’s head! It just happened and I don’t know how to fix it!” Atsumu buried his face into his jersey and let out a groan. After the incident on the bullet train, you made it a point to avoid him, only talking when absolutely necessary. Whenever you made eye contact with him, you scowled and turned your head in the other direction. “It’s over isn’t it?”

Meian rolled his neck and stretched his arms, preparing his muscles for practice. “Well, for starters, did you say sorry?”

“I did! She looked me in the eyes and told me to beat it!”

A few of the other guys changing in the locker room gave Atsumu pity stares as they changed into their workout gear. It was like every single day he dug deeper into his grave and Meian had to extend his hand further down to get him out.

“Ouch, well, make sure something like that doesn’t happen again,” Meian said, shrugging his shoulders. “I mean, drooling on someone’s head is probably the worst thing you could do to a person, right?”

—

“So… you ruined [Name]’s shoes.”

If he squinted, he could see a visible outline of Atsumu’s soul fluttering out of his lips. Atsumu was pale, eyes lifeless and will to live completely shattered after the realization that he vomited all over your shoes during the QG party. 

Unable to say any kind or encouraging words, Meian gave a light pat on the shoulder.

He didn’t think it was possible for him to top the drooling incident, but Atsumu proved him wrong.)

A shiver ran down his spine and Meian couldn’t help but grimace as memories of Atsumu sulking in the locker room came to mind. 

“C’mon, you know who.”

“If you’re talking about Miya, then you should know that he just likes to mess with me,” you said, the corners of your lips quirked upwards at the mention of his name. “Seriously, he makes my job _way_ harder than it should be.”

“You think?”

“More like I _know,”_ you bounced back at him, holding a hand up. “Let’s see…”

Without missing a beat, you started to list off all the ways Atsumu had wronged you during your time working with them. He was a serial offender. A dog that needed not only a leash, but also a muzzle and a sedative as well. By now, you had already used up all your fingers, but you kept talking. Meian listened, both amazed and stunned at the extensive record Atsumu held.

“Hey, don’t you think you’re being too harsh on him?” he asked as you described the nth ordeal Atsumu put you through. Scratching the back of his head, he wondered if his junior was nothing more than a lost cause. “Maybe you should give him a break.”

“Harsh?” you repeated. All five of your fingers were still in the air and you stared at them as you pondered his words. “You think I’m being too harsh on him?”

“...A bit. You know, he’s really not a bad guy.”

Now _this_ made you laugh. 

“I think I know that best out of everyone here,” you started and paused for a moment to collect your thoughts. “He definitely makes a fool out of himself more times than I can count… He’s a tryhard at everything he does and he sure knows how to make a mess of things, but I think he has plenty of redeeming qualities that make him… special?”

Meian nearly choked on his spit. That certainly wasn’t a word he expected to come out of your mouth when describing Atsumu.

_“Special?”_

“Maybe that’s not the right word,” you mumbled. Amidst all the madness, there were plenty of times when Atsumu stood out from the rest of the crowd—not only through his play on the court, but also from the way he would make you laugh, help out whenever he had the chance, and make work a little more exciting. “I don’t know. He runs his mouth faster than his brain can keep up, he doesn’t think things through all the way, and he sometimes acts immature for his age, but…” You smiled and made sure to pick your words right. “At the end of the day he makes my life interesting. So I guess he is special.”

Meian stared down at you and wondered if he should call a trainer. He really couldn’t believe what was coming out of your mouth. _Especially_ after you listed everything he did to you. You must have been out of your mind. It was one thing to be friendly and polite, but the soft spoken demeanor you expressed while describing your relationship with Atsumu was throwing him in a loop.

The way your eyes softened, gaze stuck on your hands as you lightly gripped onto your fingers while revering the all too loud and obnoxious setter baffled Meian. It was like he was transported into a twilight zone.

Then it clicked.

And the click wasn’t like the click of a pen or the click of a button—no, the click was more like the sound of heavy traffic on a Monday morning, blaring horns from impatient office workers screaming out: utterly impossible to ignore. At his sudden epiphany, Meian gaped and momentarily stood still like a statue.

“You like…” the words came out like a whisper. Had you not been standing right next to him, you would have missed it

“Huh?”

“...Miya,” he said, forcing it out. “You like Miya.”

Your eyes nearly bulged out of your head. 

“Excuse me? What makes you think _that?”_ you tried to compose yourself after the sudden accusation, but his words echoed inside your brain like a mantra. Liking Atsumu was… absurd. Ludicrous. Heat rose to your face as you shook your head side to side, wholly denying what Meian said. “You’re… Ugh! I don’t even know what to say!” 

He covered his mouth with his hand. His eyes were wide, irises shaking at the idea of Atsumu actually having game off the court. “I’m right, aren’t I? You… you have a thing for him!”

“I don’t!”

“You do!”

“I think we need a trainer here!” you said, turning on your heels. “I knew I should have called one over when I first saw you. I’ll go find one…!” 

You tried to escape the conversation, making a beeline to a random room, but, before you could make a quick getaway, Meian rushed over to you, wearing a smile too wide for your liking as he stopped you from continuing down the hall.

“If anyone needs a wellness check it’s _you_ for liking him!” Meian laughed aloud. After hearing Atsumu talk on and on and _on_ about his flirtatious plights ending in disaster, this revelation was something that brought Meian great enjoyment. “So when’s the first date? I heard Sendai’s got some nice spots, real good for new couples and—!”

“You’re so annoying!” you interrupted, covering your face in embarrassment as he laughed at your expense. A few staff members at the other end of the hall stared at you two in bewilderment due to your outburst. “Just drop it! What are you even hanging out here anyway? Shouldn’t you be hyping up the team before the game?”

Conversation now focused on him rather than your love life, Meian sheepishly scratched the back of his neck. 

“Yeah, uh, the weirdest thing happened.”

You furrowed your brows, silently urging him to continue on and hopefully forget about Atsumu. He struggled with his words, internally debating whether or not he should tell the truth. After a moment of thought, he decided to bite the bullet and go ahead with his explanation. 

“I was going to the bathroom,” he started, keeping his voice more hushed. “You know, the usual routine before a match. But the thing was all the other guys were there too: Miya, Hinata, Bokuto, Sakusa, and some guys from the Adlers. It looked like they were having… a moment.”

“A moment? What do you mean by that?”

“I… I couldn’t interrupt them.”

You crossed your arms in front of your chest. “So what I’m hearing is that you still need to go to the bathroom.”

He kept silent for a moment and crossed his arms in front of his chest. A faint hue of pink dusted his cheeks as he realized how ridiculous he sounded. 

“Yeah.”

It took a lot of willpower to not roll your eyes at him. How was he the one teasing you when he couldn’t even go to the bathroom by himself? 

“What are they going to do? Yell at you for using the bathroom?”

“You don’t understand!” he elaborated, waving his hands in circles. “It was the atmosphere they had. Like they were all friends from their younger days and they were reminiscing about the good ‘ole times. I mean, even _Sakusa_ was standing around chatting with them.”

Unable to take him seriously, you merely stared at him. He smiled awkwardly and you rubbed the temples on the side of your head, alleviating the headache that was forming.

“Well, you might as well go to the bathroom now,” you jabbed a thumb over your shoulder where the restrooms should be, “before your match.”

“Oh, you would love to get rid of me now that your little secret about Miya’s out,” he started again. There was a playful glint in his eyes as he leaned forward to get a better look at your face. “Out of all the guys on the team, too!”

You turned on your heels and started walking to the end of the hall in an attempt to escape. At this point, talking with Meian was going to drive you up the wall. He may be the captain and one of the oldest on the team, but he still liked to tease and rile you up at points. 

“Go to the bathroom and leave me alone!” you yelled over your shoulder as you sped away. 

Meian cackled and slapped at his knees at your flustered state while a few staff members poked their heads out from the corner of the hall to see what all the commotion was about. You didn’t stick around and instead continued down as far as you could. Safe from Meian’s taunts, you stood in front of one of the designated break rooms in the venue. It was bound to be empty and you needed to compose yourself after the sudden accusations of liking Atsumu.

You looked over your shoulders. No one. Standing outside the door, you rubbed your temples to alleviate the incoming headache. Five minutes of rest was all you needed. You took a deep breath and turned the knob of the door.

What you thought was a vacant room turned out to be your worst nightmare.

Standing before you, surrounding a small fold up table, were Bokuto, Atsumu, Hinata, Sakusa, Ushijima, Kageyama, and Hoshiumi. The same gang Meian described from earlier.

And maybe this would have been _somewhat_ normal if they were lounging around, exchanging stories away from the eyes of the media before their match. 

Except they weren’t. 

The guys weren’t relaxing or resting or doing anything they typically would before a game. No, instead they were partaking in some sort of arm wrestling showdown. Sitting across from each other, Atsumu and Ushijima had their hands clamped together, their veins protruding out from the sheer force they were putting into their arms. Noticing your entrance, Atsumu’s grip loosened for a fraction of a second, causing Ushijima to overpower him and slam his hand to the table.

“I win,” Ushijima said in a matter-of-factly tone. 

Atsumu scowled at him, but then focused his attention on you. He opened his mouth to say something, but, before he could speak up, Bokuto jumped in front of him.

“[Name]!” Bokuto cried in excitement, grinning happily at your arrival. He lit up like a million watt bulb. “You came here at the right time! We need an unbiased ref!”

“I just—I thought this room was—” you blinked twice in disbelief. “What are you guys _doing?_ ”

“An arm wrestling contest,” Ushijima answered as if it was completely normal to be doing so before their match. “To see who is the strongest.”

“We,” Hoshiumi motioned a hand to Ushijima and Kageyama, “are gonna beat the pants off of them! We already got a point on the scoreboard from Ushijima!”

Kageyama did a thumbs up your way, but his face was completely indifferent.

“You can try, but you won’t succeed Hoshi-kun!” Bokuto gritted his teeth and started to flex his biceps to show off his muscles. His veins popped out and he let out a _“hup!”_ along with a _“hoo-ha!”_ as he made comical poses. Standing beside him, Sakusa kept silent, slouching and completely disconnected from the antics of the rest of the group. “Omi-Omi, I know you made some serious gains these past few months, you gotta show ‘em off!”

Sakusa took a step away from Bokuto. “Absolutely not.”

“Hinata!” Bokuto gave up on trying to get Sakusa to show off his physique and instead turned to the team’s rookie. “Show your stuff!”

Without missing a beat, Hinata held an arm up and flexed his bicep. He slapped his hand on the meaty-est part; a loud _smack!_ resounded in the room. A few of the guys looked mildly impressed at his performance. In contrast, you wished the floor would swallow you whole.

“Ya hear that? Try and beat it!” Bokuto wiggled his body tauntingly.

Not one to back down from a challenge (especially from his eternal rival), Kageyama did the exact same as Hinata and slapped the muscle of his arm like a drum. Again, the sound practically ricocheted off the walls. It was like you were invisible as the rest of the guys, sans Sakusa and Atsumu, started to slap at their arms and compare the circumference of their biceps. In a surprising twist, Atsumu looked incredibly exasperated. Every time he opened his mouth, another person would talk over him.

It was chaos. And this wasn’t only because Atsumu, the source of your sudden frustration, was standing before you, but also due to the rest of the guys flexing their muscles to see who had the biggest biceps. Bokuto tried to coax you over, but you kept your feet planted as you stared at them.

Without another word, you did a 180 and left the room.

Meian made the right call to leave them alone.

* * *

The arm wrestling fiasco did nothing to deter the guys from the win. Three sets to one, the Jackals made sure to start the season on a high note, evening out the scoreboard against the Adlers from last year’s defeat. 

As soon as the match ended, excited fans flocked down to the court, waiting patiently in line to get autographs from their favorite players along with the chance to snap a picture with Jackasuke and Adloo; media representatives conducted interviews with the captains and coaches, discussing the highlights of the match; and with Sendai being the home turf for Hinata, Kageyama, and Ushijima, all their friends flocked over to congratulate them on a good game.

Watching it all unfold before you brought a smile to your face. You were definitely going to miss this post victory rush. The boisterous laughter after an exhilarating match, the loud crowds, the engagement—there wasn’t anything in the world that could replace it.

“Hey, yanno yer staring into space right now, right?”

Including…

You turned around and saw Atsumu standing right behind you, a hand on his hip as he leaned down to look you in the eyes. At his close proximity, you brought a hand up to flick his forehead, but he was faster than your fingers and stood up straight.

“Just thinking,” you replied.

“Gonna miss this?”

Your gaze fell on the court behind him. The contrast of orange and turquoise called for your attention, but your eyes roamed to the stands. Most spectators had already left for the night, the arena looking much more bare. 

“Yeah,” you nodded and then looked up at him, “I am.”

At your sudden soft spoken manner and words lacking its usual edge, Atsumu momentarily froze and stumbled over his words, letting out a string of complete gibberish. You stared at him, unsure what to even say until he composed himself again. The tips of his ears were red under the bright court lights. He cleared his throat into his fist before speaking again.

“I was—uh,” he paused and focused his gaze elsewhere, feeling somewhat embarrassed. “Plans. Do ya have any plans tonight?”

You had almost forgotten his routine after game days. After every match—win or lose—he’d come up to you and ask if you were free. Instead of an outright rejection you normally handed to him, you smiled and decided to play along. Meian’s words from earlier slithered out from the recesses of your mind, but you quickly dismissed them.

“Not really,” you said. “What do you have in mind?”

“Dinner.”

“Just us?”

He nodded, looking a bit more unsure than before. This was unknown territory for him and he was braving the wild with nothing more than a tin hat and a wooden sword. You stood still, tapping your finger on your chin while considering his proposition.

(You didn’t want to give him the win so easily.)

“Have you asked Hinata?” 

(And he took the challenge headfirst, replying the next second.)

“Already gone out with his friends.”

“Bokuto?”

“Went to Kokubuncho with a pal of his. Said he was gonna grab some beef tongue.”

You didn’t even bother to ask about Sakusa. He was probably already on the bus waiting to go back to the hotel with an eye mask over his face. Right after the final point, you saw Sakusa slumped on the court for an entire minute; there was no way he was willing to go explore the city at this hour.

At your silence, Atsumu waited for an answer. He was used to a sudden and harsh rejection from you, but the hope painted on his features were all but screaming out for something different—a change. 

His words didn’t have the usual tease to them, they were bare, but not empty. Vulnerable. Earnest. Different from before. Like he put more thought into what he was asking for.

As the seconds passed, anticipation rose within him. The ball was in your court and it was the last time to make his shot count. With a light grip on the strap of your tote bag, you looked up and smiled at him, choice clear as day.

“Alright,” you said in a soft voice. He would have missed it if he wasn’t hyper-focused on your lips. “I’ll go out to dinner with you. I’d like that.”

Atsumu nearly rubbed his eyes. _“You would?”_

“I would.”

There was no hiding the grin slowly working its way on his face at two simple words. 

“Yanno, I heard Sendai’s got a couple of nice izakayas,” he threw his arm around your shoulders, pulling you closer as he chuckled. “We can find a nice one to sit down at.”

You peeled his arm off and gave a halfhearted warning by rolling your eyes at him. He took no offense and instead walked beside you as you two made way to the main entrance. His knuckles brushed against your own every so often as he kept at your pace.

“So I’ve been told.” You paused, thinking about your conversation with Meian again. He was not going to catch wind of this for your own sake. No doubt, he would hold this over your head until the end of the century. “Hey, you better not drink tonight. God knows we need another incident like the QG—”

He flushed at the mention of his past blunder and flailed his hands in front of his body.

“You don’t have to keep talking about it!” he cried out, interrupting you. At his expense, you laughed into your hand. He was too easy. “Besides, I wanna remember everything about this date!”

“Oh, so you’re already calling it a date?” you teased him.

“Well, what else would ya call it?”

You took a second to consider an alternative. Nothing came to mind. “I guess you’re right. It is a date.”

“The first of many, many, _many_ more in the future.”

Now he was just being cocky. You nudged your elbow into his side and he yelped in surprise. 

_“Hey!”_

“You need to quit acting like that,” you said, circling a finger at his entire being.

He placed a hand over his heart, seemingly wounded by your words. Even if you were going on a date with him, you didn’t want him to walk around with a head the size of a hot air balloon.

“Acting like what?”

“Don’t play coy,” you rolled your eyes at him. “Your ego’s gotten twice as big since this conversation started.”

“Well, I’m just happy,” he said while shrugging his shoulders. “A guy ain’t allowed to be happy anymore?”

He pushed the main entrance door open, the drop in temperature immediately causing you to shiver. You rubbed your arms and huffed hot air into the palms of your hands. Street lights illuminated the brick path as you both walked to the main street where the taxis lined up.

“We’re not even out in Sendai eating yet.”

“Yeah? But,” he wrapped an arm around your shoulders again. This time you didn’t brush him aside, the warmth of his body coaxing you to stick closer to him. He made sure to keep his steps shorter. “You’re right beside me now and we’re goin’ on a date. Why wouldn’t I be happy?”

A sudden rush of wind made you shudder and shut your eyes to avoid dust getting into them. When you opened them again, you took a quick peek at Atsumu. He had a November flush tinting the apples of his cheeks, much fuller than before from the smile he was unable to contain as he laughed. His hair was flat, bangs covering his forehead to make him look younger. At your silence, his eyes darted down to make contact with yours. You quickly tore your gaze away, not wanting to give the satisfaction of him knowing you were staring.

“Ugh, you’re being too... cheesy,” you muttered.

“You fallin’ for me?”

You shook your head as you laughed at him. Small puffs of air escaped your lips at every breath and dissipated within the next second. _Not in a million years,_ you wanted to say. The words never left your mouth. Instead, you looked up at him and tried your best not to smile. Your attempt was futile as the corners of your lips twitched upwards.

“Absolutely not.”

(Absolutely.)

He leaned down in your space, grinning playfully at you. His bangs shifted as he tilted his head, challenging your every word. Conversation with Atsumu bounced back and forth like a metronome.

“I think you are,” he said.

You hid your smile with the back of your hand, making sure he couldn’t see the effect he had on you. Without missing a beat, you looked him in the eyes and replied, “I’m not.” 

(I am.)

“I’ll make ya fall for me by the end of the night.”

You lightly pushed him away and shook your head in denial.

“I’d like to see you try.” 

(I’d like that.)

You, Atsumu, and the first date in a city far from home.

It was the perfect set up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Our last post for the series:
> 
> **@MSBYBlackJackalsVB:**  
>  Victory! 3-1 against the Schweiden Adlers, talk about a great way to start the new season! Make sure to watch the match highlights (whoa, check out Bokuto’s chest receive!) on our official website. We’ll see you guys on the court next week! #BringIt #JackalsBareTheirFangs #ShowUsYourClaws #AndWinItAll #GameSetMatch #SeeYouNextTime #SoGratefulForOurPack #ThanksForEverything
> 
> **Notes:**
> 
> Kokubuncho is an entertainment district located in Sendai. There are many clubs, izakayas, and bars… Kokubuncho is also home to many gay bars. Yes, this is the district Bokuto and Akaashi went to after the Jackals vs. Adlers match to grab some beef tongue! Do what you will with this information.
> 
> **Final words about this series:**
> 
> hi wow so the final author’s note for this story… uhhhh holy smokes it’s done! bahaha it almost feels surreal because I’ve been working on this for quite some time (since may! omg) and when I saw the white tape with the final chapter I kept thinking “god, here we go I’m sooooooooo pumped and excited to finally finish this and be DONE AHHHHh!!” but at the same time... it’s bittersweet. on one hand I won’t be grueling over chapter ideas like a SNL intern trying to create a comedic skit when the daily news consists of a rise in consumer purchases for standing desks... on the other hand I will miss coming up with some jackpot bingo bazinga idea for a chapter regarding this series. 
> 
> I feel like I had a bunch of ups and downs with this story. when I first started writing this, I wasn’t in a good place mentally due to the state of the world along with other Life Things. I just wanted to write something that would make me laugh. something that would allow myself to have fun by myself in my room and forget about how crappy everything in life was lol. and then I shared the first chapter and suddenly a lot more people were laughing along with me and having fun and I was like whoa! socks blown off. yanno, the best feeling in the world is being able to share a laugh with someone else because that means you made someone happy for a brief moment in time. and that’s awesome. sharing happiness is something really really _really_ special because even though we may be thousands of miles apart we still laugh about and love the same story. um idk if this is making any sense. sorry about that, my mind is running in circles and I’m not articulating myself well because I’m super giddy that this story is FINALLY complete.
> 
> I feel like I should give myself a moment to justify the ending of this with the exception of it being a true Self Indulgent scene. for quite some time, I knew I wanted atsumu to be the endgame because to me there is something so sweet about the underdog winning in the finale. he can be brash and he dives headfirst into shallow waters and he definitely runs his mouth before his brain has a chance to catch up… but throughout the chapters I wanted to highlight that even with all these rough qualities, these are what makes atsumu special and very human… I’ve always been envious of people who can wear their heart on their sleeve; it’s admirable to show your emotions wholly. he has shown time and time again his interest and, with the passage of time, our manager can see there is kindness and true genuineness behind his actions. he may not be able to express his emotions as well as he wants, but there is a mutual understanding between the two. his dynamic with the manager is fun; they keep each other on their toes like they’re in a tennis match lol. yeah, he’s annoying and an HR nightmare, but you have to admit that the guy would make your work day helluva lot more interesting. this ending is cheesy and gratifying and makes me feel warm and fuzzy. I mean, the entire reason why I wrote this was for fun and I like to think this final chapter encapsulates that. I hope you guys enjoyed reading this with me (:
> 
> this author’s note is getting too long my god I apologize. why am I treating this like I’m writing a eulogy lol. well... this is the end of msby black jackals online! I can’t say if I’ll start another series or another work, but what I do know is that I’ll be kicking it for some time and enjoying life right now and taking a short break. my next priority for whatever free time I can scrounge up is to finish shiratorizawa antics.
> 
> seriously. thank you so much for reading. I feel like I cannot say this enough.
> 
> one last time for this story: I hope you all are staying happy and healthy!
> 
> peace.
> 
> (feel free to catch me on [tumblr](https://mooshys.tumblr.com/) or [twitter](https://twitter.com/himooshys?s=20)!)


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